VAXJO, Sweden, June 12, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Swedish parliament has voted to allow lotteries, bingo and casino gaming to be organized via the Internet. The changes to the Swedish lottery law have opened the door for the Swedish National Lottery, AB Trav och Galopp (the Swedish horse racing organization) and non-commercial organizations to distribute their games via digital media. The new lottery law will come into force this August, so applications from existing operators are now being accepted.
"As a recognized and experienced European supplier of software to the gaming industry, it's like winning the lottery jackpot for us. This is obviously a great opportunity for us to supply our products to some of the operators who will be licensed to distribute digital lottery games on the Swedish market and, subsequently, to extend operations into the whole of Europe," said Peter Bertilsson, CEO and President of Boss Media.
Within Europe, England is the only other country to permit Internet gaming, with restrictions on English gambling organizations being lifted 2 years ago. So far, the major lottery and gaming organizations have been reluctant to get into the digital market due to the uncertainty as to which way the law would go. Now that the Swedish lottery law has been changed in favor of a regulated market, rather than prohibition, other countries will probably follow suit and thereby promote the digital trend further.
International competition via the Internet has weakened control over gaming and lottery activities in Sweden, leading the Swedish parliament to identify the need to modernize the law for public health reasons. This need has been met through the changes to the lottery law, which will now come into effect. Swedish lottery and gaming interests have always regulated to minimize the potential negative effects of gambling, and this approach will continue in future.
The Boss Media Group is one of the world's leading suppliers of digitally distributed gaming entertainment. Potential licensees are offered a customized client-server system, an integrated payment system, and the maintenance and administration services necessary for the successful operation of the licensed gaming system. Boss Media AB (publ) is a publicly traded company listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange's O-list (Attract 40).
For additional information, please contact: Peter Bertilsson CEO and President Boss Media AB Phone: +46 470 70 30 01/+46 709 93 25 54 E-mail: pbe@bossmedia.se Ulrika Persson, Investor Relations Manager Boss Media AB Phone: +46 470 70 30 38 or +46/733 36 77 69 E-mail: up@bossmedia.se
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