Pacific Online to add 200 new terminals this year

MANILA, Philippines – Pacific Online Systems Corp., the exclusive online lottery system provider of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in the Visayas and Mindanao, is further expanding its operations nationwide with the addition of 200 new terminals by the end of the year.

In a filing with securities regulators, Pacific Online said it is hoping to end the year with a total of 1,800 terminals from 1,600 as of end-December last year.

Pacific Online also intends to continue the expansion of wholly-owned unit Lucky Circle Corp. and Lotto Pacific Leisure Corp., which operates lotto outlets in SM malls and supermarkets. From only 68 outlets in December 2008, this number is seen to grow to about 120 operating retail outlets within the next 12 to 18 months. 

Lucky Circle sells seven instant scratch games (Mega Money, Fast Cash, Jack En Poy, Gold Rush, Pot of Gold, Red Hot 7’s and Double Dollars) in lotto outlets in SM malls and supermarkets.

“With the variety of product lines being offered by PCSO, it is envisioned that this network of retail outlets will be able to provide professional excellent service to customers,” Pacific Online said.

Since the company’s entry into instant games in mid-2007, sales of all instant ticket variants so far introduced in the market have been very encouraging and continuously gaining favorable public acceptance. 

In February 2009, the company signed a memorandum of agreement with PCSO to distribute 30 million instant tickets called the Diamond Anniversary Series. The first batch of instant tickets had been rolled out in April while the next batch is expected to be launched this month.

Last May 13, Pacific Online entered into a memorandum of agreement with the PCSO for the supply, on a long-term basis, of the latter’s requirements in connection with its National Instant Ticket Program. The seven-year contract starts in December 2009 and will provide for the supply, initially of 500 million Scratch It tickets, to be released in several tranches consisting of different variants.

The company has likewise entered into a distribution agreement for the instant tickets with Andok’s Litson Manok Corp., which owns and operates more than 300 outlets nationwide.

“The instant games business is one of the fastest-growing segments of the worldwide gaming industry today and through this investment, the company seeks to take advantage of this area of growth in the industry where it operates,” Pacific Online said.