MyLotto24 to launch in Australia
News on 3 May 2018
News on 3 May 2018
Despite the considerable competitive presence of Lottoland Australia and the looming threat of a federal government ban on “synthetic” lotteries, the German operator MyLotto24 in the Frankfurt-listed Zeal Network group has announced plans to launch in Australia, hopefully in partnership with the Victorian News Agents’ Association.
MyLotto24 plans to use VNA’s 1,200-strong retail outlets for in-store payments to its online lottery betting player accounts, with newsagents making 12 percent commission on all in-store deposits, and 3 percent for all online deposits made by customers they refer to MyLotto24.
Thus far the government has shown little sign that it will relent in its pursuit of parliamentary legislation leading to a ban; a spokesperson for federal Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said the government was proceeding with its legislation to ban lottery-betting, and would “pursue its passage through parliament as quickly as possible”.
Chris Samartzis, of the Victorian Newsagents’ Association, said he believed his group’s potential deal with MyLotto24 “removes the need for a heavy-handed ban on the entire lottery-betting market”.
He stressed that newsagents, whom the proposed legislation is purportedly designed to protect, will benefit from the MyLotto24 deal from “lottery opportunities that complement existing Australian lotteries in a regulated and disciplined environment.”
Samartzis added that the unintended consequences of a blanket ban would only serve to erect a monopoly with zero competition in the market place to Tatts, which has campaigned vigorously for a ban on Lottoland.
The Gibraltar-based operator has also offered news agents in the Australian News Agents Association a 20 percent cut, which has been rather acrimoniously rejected (see previous reports).
The MyLotto24 proposal is being considered, but some state gambling watchdogs have reportedly started enquiries regarding its legality.
MyLotto24’s Australian manager, Mikael Sundelin, said the partnership with the Victorian News Agents’ Association to provide in-store payment on the “Nparcel” system was the “first of its kind” for lottery-betting in Australia.
“This pioneering partnership, a convergence of online and in-store, enables newsagents to benefit from lotto betting in a way that’s been previously closed to them,” he said.
