程阳:National Lottery (Ireland)
2008-08-26 03:09阅读:
The National Lottery's
corporate logo
from 1987–2008.
The
National Lottery (
Irish:
An
Crannchur Náisiúnta) is the nationwide
lottery that has
operated in the
Republic of
Ireland since
23 March 1987. Created
by the
National Lottery Act, 1986 for the purpose of
raising funds for deserving causes, the National Lottery currently
offers a range of games that includes
scratchcards, Lotto
drawings, televised
game shows, and
participation in the transnational
EuroMillions
lottery. In 2007, its tickets and scratchcards were distributed by
3,623 retail agents throughout the country, with total sales for
the year amounting to €778.5 million.
[edit]
Administration
Since its inception, the National Lottery has been administered by
the
An Post National Lottery Company (
Irish:
Comhlacht Chrannchur Náisiúnta An Post), a subsidiary of
Ireland's semi-state postal services provider
An Post. The
company holds a licence to operate the lottery on behalf of the
Minister
for Finance, who has ultimate authority in issuing or revoking
the lottery licence, in overseeing gaming operations, and in
distributing the lottery's proceeds.
The National Lottery Act, 1986, stipulates that the lottery licence
must be reissued under a competitive-bid process at least once
every ten years. The current licence was granted to An Post
National Lottery Company on
26 June 2001, to cover the
period from
1 January 2002 until
31 December
2008.
In 2006, then–Minister for Finance
Brian Cowen extended
the licence for a further two years, until
31 December
2010.
The government will invite bids for a new licence to take effect on
1 January 2011.
[1]
In 2008, the An Post National Lottery Company undertook a €6
million rebranding campaign, introducing a new signature color
(lime green) and a new logo (a lime green–coloured star with a
smiling face) with the goals of unifying its branding across its
various products and giving the National Lottery a more youthful
and fun image. The new branding extends from the company's lottery
machines and kiosks to its playslips, scratchcards, tickets, and
website.
[2]
The redesigned website was launched on
20 August 2008.
The National Lottery's online and instant-ticket services are
currently provided by a contractor, GTECH Ireland, a wholly owned
subsidiary of
GTECH Corp.