PLEASANTON, Calif.,
Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- U.S. shoppers will soon be able to purchase jackpot games
such as Powerball and Mega Millions at grocery retail checkout and
have the numbers sent to their mobile device, making playing the
lottery more convenient and fun. This unique innovation is the
result of an exclusive partnership between lottery technology
provider Linq3 and Blackhawk Network, a global financial technology
company and a leader in connecting brands and people through
branded value solutions. The program is subject to individual state
lottery approval and is expected be available in select states at
participating grocery retailers starting in late 2017.
"With the live ticket technology, shoppers will be able to
easily purchase lottery tickets in the grocery locations they
regularly frequent and have lottery numbers sent to their mobile
phone, providing them with a streamlined experience," said
David Tate, Blackhawk Network senior
vice president, U.S. Business. "Additionally, it simplifies the
lottery purchasing path, which is expected to make this a more
popular choice among retailers' customers."
Big jackpot games will be available for sale at participating
retail checkout lanes across the U.S. as states approve. Shoppers
playing lottery games in this new way will activate their purchase
via text and have their lottery numbers delivered in real time to a
mobile phone with text and picture messaging capability. Shoppers
will also be able to track their results virtually and have most
prizes paid electronically.
"We look forward to leveraging our leading-edge lottery platform
within Blackhawk Network's vast distribution footprint of premier
retailers. This provides lottery a new and efficient way to offer
products to their customers, giving them access to a new lottery
experience that's interesting and exciting," said Daniel Cage, founder and president of Linq3.
"This program is designed to operate within current regulatory
guidelines and provides lotteries the ability to significantly
impact the growth of lottery revenues for their states."
About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network Holdings,
Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a global financial technology company and a
leader in connecting brands and people through branded value
solutions. Blackhawk platforms and
solutions enable the management of stored value products,
promotions and incentive programs in retail, ecommerce, financial
services and mobile wallets. Blackhawk's Hawk Commerce division offers
technology solutions to businesses and direct to consumers. The
Hawk Incentives division offers enterprise, SMB and reseller
partners an array of platforms and branded value products to incent
and reward consumers, employees and sales channels. Headquartered
in Pleasanton, Calif.,
Blackhawk operates in 26
countries. For more information, please
visit blackhawknetwork.com, hawkcommerce.com, hawkincentives.com or
our product
websites giftcards.com, giftcardmall.com, cardpool.com, giftcardlab.com and omnicard.com.
About Linq3
Linq3 is a technology solution provider that holds regulatory
approvals and state licenses that allow it to generate and
distribute lottery tickets through a proprietary technology
platform. This platform uses existing point of sale (POS) devices
at major retailers across the United
States. The company has offices in Atlanta, Ga. and Long Beach, Ca.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking
statements are indicated by words or phrases such as "guidance,"
"believes," "expects," "intends," "forecasts," "can," "could,"
"may," "anticipates," "estimates," "plans," "projects," "seeks,"
"should," "targets," "will," "would," "outlook," "continuing,"
"ongoing," and similar words or phrases and the negative of such
words and phrases. Forward-looking statements are based on
Blackhawk's current plans and
expectations and involve risks and uncertainties which are, in many
instances, beyond its control, and which could cause actual results
to differ materially from those included in or contemplated or
implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and
uncertainties include, without limitation, successfully and timely
obtaining of individual state lottery approval and the continuance
of exclusive partnership between Linq3 and Blackhawk. Other factors that could cause or
contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to,
those described in Blackhawk's
reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC"), including the risks and uncertainties set forth in
Item 1A under the heading "Risk Factors" in its Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2016 and other subsequent periodic reports it files with the
SEC. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of
the date of this press release. Blackhawk undertakes no obligation to update
forward-looking statements to reflect developments or information
obtained after the date hereof and disclaim any obligation to do so
other than as may be required by law.
CONTACT: Courtney Brunkow, (303)
717-9575, Courtney@fletchergroupllc.com
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SOURCE Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc.