NZ Lotteries New-Look Website Goes Live

Media Release 19 September 2005

For Immediate Release

NZ Lotteries New-Look Website Goes Live

New Zealand Lotteries Commission (NZ Lotteries) launches its new-look website, bringing fresh information to players in a more user friendly format today, says NZ Lotteries Chief Executive Trevor Hall.

"We are committed to providing a reliable site that is simple to navigate for our players. The new design does this and aligns our website with the NZ Lotteries corporate identity that was introduced last year."

NZ Lotteries new site (www.nzlotteries.co.nz) went live at 11pm on Sunday, 18 August, after a few months of design work with web development partner Terabyte.

"Some of the site's new features are a winners' stories page and the ability for players to email in with their winning anecdotes and appear on the site themselves," Mr Hall says.

NZ Lotteries games, Lotto, Strike, Powerball, Instant Kiwi and Keno, each have their own dedicated section with a look and feel reflecting each particular game's brand.

The new site also features a newsroom section and image gallery for news media to use. "Responsible play information and the contact details for help organisations are available on the website, showing our commitment to responsible service delivery," Mr Hall says.

"The recent problem with the Keno results page has been resolved, and now our players can find up-to-date results for our games online consistently."

Another improvement to the site is more information on the community winners who receive funding from NZ Lotteries profits. During the past year $120 million was allocated by the the Lottery Grants Board and other statutory bodies such as the NZ Film Commission, Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) and Creative NZ, to community groups.

Since NZ Lotteries website was first launched in 2002 the number of website visits per month has increased dramatically. In October 2002, there were 1514 visits. During August 2005 there were 129,068 visits to the site.

ENDS

About NZ Lotteries: NZ Lotteries (New Zealand Lotteries Commission) was established in 1987 and operates in the New Zealand market as a crown entity under the Gambling Act 2003. Its purpose is to provide safe gaming that allows New Zealanders to play and win and contribute money back to New Zealand communities. For more information: www.nzlotteries.co.nz

About Terabyte Interactive: Terabyte is New Zealand's oldest new media design company, organizing New Zealand's first multimedia conference in 1994 and launching a number of award winning edutainment CD-ROM titles in 1995. Terabyte was also heavily involved in the America's Cup culminating in the development and launch of Virtual Spectator, widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most exciting software products at that time.

Terabyte is a full service digital agency providing clients such as HSBC Global, Newscorp, Auckland Museum and Te Papa with a broad range of digital and multimedia products and services. Terabyte has pioneered Dynamic Web™ technology, a platform for its interactive, multimedia edutainment developments. The technology is a first of its kind with numerous applications across a wide range of sectors and industries. Terabyte has won Netguide's prestigious Best Web Development Company twice, in 1999 and 2002, and has consistently featured as a finalist Website: www.terabyte.co.nz

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