|
Alphyra has partnered with Rehab Lotteries in an arrangement that sees the delivery of a new lottery product, Daily Lotto, using Alphyra's network of terminals that are usually used to top-up credit on pre-paid mobile phones.
Rehab Lotteries, which has raised over IEP23 million for the Rehab Group and other not-for-profit-organisations, has traditionally offered its products over scratch cards and it is claimed that the arrangement with Alphyra is the first time a non-state owned lottery company has used this kind of technology to electronically deliver lotteries in Ireland.
The new lottery product, Daily Lotto, is a community-based lottery from Rehab Lotteries that is initially available to selected Alphyra merchants in Co. Wicklow and if it proves a success for Rehab then the organisation may offer it throughout the country. Alphyra has over 6,000 terminals throughout the country that are usually used to enable mobile phone customers to top-up their pre-paid mobile phones.
It is also thought that Alphyra will look to implement its transaction software throughout its terminal network in Europe as it looks to boost the ability of this network to increase revenues. The company, for instance, currently manages around 18,000 pre-paid terminals in Britain.
"This is another example of our ability to deliver multiple revenue-generating applications across our terminal network," said Alphyra's chief executive officer, John Nagle in a statement. "Going forward, I expect our experiences with Rehab Lotteries will prompt us to seek out similar opportunities in some of our overseas markets."
The announcement comes in the wake of a hectic couple of weeks for the company and its directors. On 19 February, it reported a pre-tax loss of EUR31.5 million for the eight months to the end of December compared with a profit of EUR479,000 for the previous 12-month period. After the results, the company's share price fell by nearly forty percent to a low of EUR1.40.
However, less than a week later the shares re-bounded by over 60 percent to EUR2.20 after it said it had signed a bill payment deal with Powergen, which will allow customers of the UK utilities provider make payments towards their electricity, gas and telephone bills through Alphyra's terminal network.
A couple of days later it was announced that four of the company's directors spent almost EUR1 million on share purchases when the stock had been weak. Alphyra's chief executive, John Nagle, group finance director, John Williamson, non-executive chairman, John McDonnell, and non-executive director, Nick Koumarianos, acquired additional shares in the business for around EUR940,000.
In late trading on the Irish Stock Exchange on Thursday, Alphyra was down EUR0.10 to EUR2.10.
|
