The European Lotteries Association’s (EL) General Assembly held in Rome on 15 June 2005, appointed Doctor Winfried Wortmann, General Director of the Westdeutsche Lottery of Münster/Germany as its new President. Dr. Wortmann, succeeds Mr. Hans-Jürgen Reißiger of Deutsche Klassenlotterie, Berlin, who after 4 years did not run again for election.

Dr. Wortmann is 58 years old, and has been working with the Westdeutsche Lotterie since 1994.

In his first address, Dr. Wortmann stressed how vital it is for the European Institutions to understand the importance of a legal orientation and consequently maintain the State monopoles in the gaming sector. Seeing that, contrarily to other domains of activity, in the gaming sector it is not a question of offering consumers the possibility of unrestricted expenditure, but of channelling the gaming impulse.

EL actually counts 73 Member Lotteries (from 42 European countries); The Association is based in Lausanne and Ms Bernadette Lobjois its Secretary General.

Ten Executive Committee Members were also elected during this assembly: Mr. Christophe Blanchard-Dignac, President-General Director de la Française des Jeux / France, was appointed 1st Vice-President and Mr. Sotiris Koulossoussas, Member of the Board and President of „Sports Business Partnership“, Greek Organization of Football Prognostics OPAP / Greece, was appointed 2nd Vice-President.

M.r Hans-Jürgen Reißiger was nominated „Honorary President“ by the General Assembly named in acknowledgement of his successful work for enhancing awareness in the domain of State Lotteries in Europe.

Contact:
Ms Bernadette Lobjois
European State Lottery and Toto Association
Av. Béthusy 36 – 1005 Lausanne
Tel: + 41 21 311 30 25 – Fax: + 41 21 312 30 11