adesso AG accepts an order for consultancy services for the biggest lottery project in Eastern Europe

Dortmund, 27 November 2007 – adesso AG, a listed IT service provider with a focus on consultancy and software development, supports the setting up of the first country-wide online lottery and biggest lottery in Russia in the future. Members of staff of adesso accompany the large-scale project as consultants on technical topics and on the selection of international suppliers, on contract negotiations and on the deployment of the new technical infrastructure. The lottery is scheduled to start already in 2008 and its sales network is intended to be built up step by step.

Online lottery for six time zones

This large-scale project is of pioneering importance for Russia. Although there are already regional and even nationally operating lotteries, there is no single online service offer. Dr. Rüdiger Striemer, member of the executive board of adesso, comment on this: “It is precisely here where the challenge lies: to build up an online sales network in a country of the size of Russia stretching across six time zones.” In this context “online” means that the lottery ticket of each player is electronically registered and processed at the counter the moment it is being sold. The sales terminal is in direct contact with a central system which receives and processes all orders for lottery tickets. This process has to be absolutely safe and to be functioning reliably.

Project Progression and Tasks

In a first project step consultants of adesso provide help in selecting the suppliers for the technical infrastructure (central system, terminals, network) and to negotiate respective contracts.

The next complex step has to do with the actual implementation – a demanding task, since the lottery company has to be set up first. Parallel to this, important decisions already have to be made: for example, how to design central processes – from accepting an order for lottery tickets to paying out the winnings. It is our objective to start sales activities in 2008 and then to expand the sales network. In order to achieve this, adesso members of staff can make full use of their vast experience in the European lottery business.

Lottery Competence of adesso

Adesso AG, which is represented in Germany and Switzerland at six locations, has for years been a popular partner of state-owned lottery companies. Already 8 out of the 16 German regional companies cooperate with the IT service provider as, for example, on projects in North-Rhine Westphalia, Hamburg and Saxony. In addition to this, the company also increasingly provides services for lottery companies in European countries.

Strategy for Internationalisation

For Rüdiger Striemer the order from Russia manifests clear evidence of the company´s successful internationalization strategy in the lottery sector: “We have also managed to attract companies as customers in Luxembourg and Switzerland. The lottery topic, especially in the online area, is interesting on an international level. In this segment our expert knowledge and experience qualify us as a specialized service provider that is highly sought-after abroad, too. We see the large-scale project in Russia as an important building block in the context of our growth strategy, which we will unwaveringly pursue further.”