The UK National Lottery Commission recently announced that Camelot has signed the Enabling Agreement which officially appoints Camelot as operator of The National Lottery from February 1, 2009 to January 31, 2019.
"The highly secure and reliable HughesNet VPN service was an important element in our bid for the new lottery license," said Neil Kellar, Camelot’s IT Director. "Hughes’ experience deploying very large networks, including more than 70,000 network nodes for lottery terminals worldwide, was a key factor in our decision."
Under the contract, Hughes will utilize its continent-wide HughesNet broadband satellite service to provide a comprehensive and highly reliable solution for connecting Camelot’s new IP-based lottery terminals, which include digital media screens at lottery points of sale.
"We are committed to supporting our retail partners, providing them with the support and services they need to help us maximize sales-and returns-to the Good Causes. The screens will be used to advertise National Lottery products and jackpots, in addition to providing a wide range of messages, such as local information and jackpot alerts, forming the largest media network of its kind in the world," said Camelot Sales Director, Steve Lucas.
Lucas added, "Innovation is the key to long-term growth in lotteries, and we are extremely proud that Camelot is regarded as the most innovative lottery operator in the world. We are planning to build further on that reputation and give players and retailers alike the kind of lottery services, systems, and games that they expect."
The multi-year managed services contract includes provisioning of network equipment and related installation, maintenance and ongoing support.
"We are proud to have been selected by Camelot to provide the broadband network solution and services for this next-generation lottery system in the U.K.," said Pradman Kaul, chairman and CEO, Hughes. "It is strong confirmation by a highly-valued customer of our experience in managing complex networks with such scale, including both satellite and terrestrial technologies."