Lottoland is begging for its life in a series of full-page ads that appeared in Australian newspapers yesterday. The controversial operator, which allows players to wager on the outcome of international lotteries, is facing a ban in the Land Down Under and is desperately trying to turn the very newsagents responsible its demise into allies in a last ditch effort to stay in business.
Lottoland is reeling from an effort, spearheaded by newsagents, to ban its operations in Australia. That effort picked up a tremendous win on Wednesday of this week when Aussie lawmakers introduced legislation that would, effectively, kill Lottoland’s Australian operations.
In an effort to stop that legislation before it becomes law, company officials begged newsagents to reconsider and even join forces with them in an ad that came in the form of a letter from Lottoland CEO Luke Brill, who offered an olive branch to his enemies saying:
…no one has come up with credible evidence that actually proves that Lottoland Australia has taken sales away from newsagents. We want to partner with newsagents to provide our customers with greater choice, in a way that will be fair and profitable for your business.
Brill even offered newsagents a 20 percent commission on players they refer to the site.
The Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association chief executive Adam Joy told the Australian media that his organization wasn’t against Lottoland so much as they were simply trying to protect Australian consumers saying:
The best kind of consumer protection from synthetic lotteries is to not allow it in our country. The model encourages problem gambling, promotes high-risk spending, and is misleading regarding the winnings available. And it also comes at a significant cost to state taxes, and to local family-run small businesses — that employ locally, pay Australian taxes and support the local community.
If passed, the bill banning Lottoland from the Australian market would kick in in about six months.