Lottoland breaks monopoly in Victoria with upcoming keno launch
Gibraltar-based operator brings its first game to Australia since its dual licence award in February
Lottoland has unveiled plans to launch its new keno game, KenoGO, in Victoria, Australia with a jackpot of A$20m (£11.2m).
That would almost double the record keno pay-out in Australian history, which currently stands at A$10.3m and was won in May 2022.
Lottoland’s launch, scheduled for 30 December 2022, will end The Lottery Corporation’s monopoly on keno in Victoria, which it has held since 2012.
The firm, which listed as a separate entity from Tabcorp in June, had held an exclusive retail-only licence in the state since it paid A$60m for the privilege a decade ago.
The state government awarded a 20-year dual licence to Lottoland in February for an undisclosed fee, and this game marks the operator’s relaunch in Australia.
The licence was also the first dual licence to be awarded by any Australian state. At the time of the licence award, Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland, said: “I would like to personally thank the Minister for Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Melissa Horne, and the Victorian State Government for awarding the first dual licence in Australia.”
On the launch of KenoGO, Birrell commented: “We are excited to offer consumers in Victoria the opportunity to enjoy keno online on their devices for the first time ever, and we are grateful to the Victoria State Government for making this possible.
“This is a huge milestone, made even bigger by our decision to offer the world’s largest keno jackpot of $20m at KenoGO’s Victoria launch. Our insurance model gives Lottoland the unique ability to offer such high jackpots without reliance on pools.
“We are excited to add to Lottoland’s varied online offering, and to be leading the way when it comes to the availability of keno games online and harm minimisation tools.”
In 2019, three Australian regulators investigated Lottoland after its lottery business was prohibited in the country and it began offering a betting product based on financial markets.
The operator launched a legal challenge against the federal government after the investigation deemed the offering illegal. Lottoland then received a reprieve from the New South Wales Supreme Court and was allowed to continue operations.