Industry Reports

OLG Extends Partnership with Scientific Games for Another 4 Years

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), the agency managing all gaming and lottery operations in the Province of Ontario, has extended its contract with Scientific Games as a provider of its instant game offerings for another four years. OLG’s partnership with the Las Vegas-based leading provider of lottery products will continue until July 31, 2022.

Scientific Games is one of the largest suppliers of lottery games and gaming software in the world and it owns companies such as Bally Technologies, WMS Industries, and Barcrest. Through one of its many subsidiaries, it provides instant games in Ontario, including Scrabble, Words with Friends, and AMC’s The Walking Dead, according to the company’s latest press release. In it, Scientific Games announced that the partnership between the company and OLG would continue for four more years. Although it develops and supplies different games such as online slots to a large number of Internet casinos, the provider is currently offering only instant games in Ontario.

It is lotteries and instant games, however, that are among the most popular form of gambling, according to the OLG. Through various service providers, the Crown Corporation manages all lottery, bingo, gaming and electronic gaming in the province and its revenues are used for funding education and health programs, charities, problem gambling organizations, and more. According to data posted on its official website, since 1975, the agency has made contributions to the province worth nearly $47 billion. And a sizable portion of this revenue is generated through the sales of lottery tickets and instant game cards.

Randy Weyersberg, Vice President, Lottery Marketing and Planning for OLG, said that Scientific Games’ products are innovative and popular among customers. Commenting on the renewed contract, he said he was hopeful that these exciting products would continue to generate revenue for the province.

Expanding the Global Presence

The American company Scientific Games was established in 1973 as a lottery provider but in recent years, it has expanded its presence on a truly global scale. According to the news release, it is the largest lottery and instant games supplier in the world, offering not only games but also technologies and services to around 150 lotteries around the world. This includes the largest instant game on the globe, the Italian Lotterie Nazionali, in which it has a significant share (20%).

In January, the company completed the acquisition of NYX Gaming Group, a gaming and betting provider, and launched its interactive gaming and sports betting division, SG Digital. It is also one of the most preferred providers of gaming technology and equipment not only in North America and Europe but also in Asia. The company has entered Macau and the Asia Pacific market with various products, including digital table games and slot machines. In addition, Scientific Games is the provider of the Slovakian national lottery, TIPOS, as well as various state lotteries in the US such as the Kentucky Lottery Corporation, a partnership that was extended for another 8 years in April.