Inter Lotto cuts jackpot size after ‘serious concerns’ over addiction

Gaming company Inter Lotto has cut the size of the top jackpot for its rapidly-repeating online draw Pronto! to 25,000 from 100,000 in response to Government concerns about the potentially addictive nature of the game.

Pronto!, which is to be launched in November in pubs and leisure centres, is a form of online bingo where players match ten numbers to 20 drawn from a field of 80; it can be played every 15 minutes. The company has just announced that the game will be played in more than half of Greene King’s 450 outlets, mainly in the South of England.

The Home Office has ordered a review of these “Keno-style” games – named after a similar game widely played in the US – after the Gaming Board expressed “serious concerns” over playing them in pubs.

Roy Fisher, chief executive of Inter Lotto, says the jackpot was cut to placate the regulatory authorities, but he believes it will not make the game less attractive to players.

“Slot machines, which are the main competition, only have 10 jackpots; ours will be 25,000. In view of concerns expressed by the Gaming Board, we thought cutting the jackpot doesn’t affect us commercially, and it makes the regulatory authorities more comfortable.”

Inter Lotto has also put the minimum age for playing Pronto! at 18, compared with 16 for the National Lottery.