Admas digital lottery launched via telebirr
ADMAS Digital Lottery has been launched on Friday via telebirr, a mobile money service through 605 SMS platform.
Ethio Telecom and the National Lottery Administration (NALA) signed a strategic partnership to launch the digital lottery.
The agreement has been signed between Frehiwot Tamiru, CEO of Ethio telecom and Geremew Gargie, General Manager of NALA at Ethiopian Skylight Hotel.
“The new digital lottery system will enable to cut significant annual expenses of 60 million Birr spent earlier to print lottery and other related items,” Geremew said.
The launch of the digital lottery service would enable NALA to commence digital lottery sales as option in addition to its existing paper based lottery sales, increase digital penetration and enhance accessibility by integrating it to telebirr based digital payment system which is easy, fast, convenient and secure payment platform for the lottery ticket buyers.
The lottery ticket buyers could buy the digital lottery knowns as ADMAS lottery by dialing to telebirr USSD *127# as well as NALA’s 605 SMS service by sending “A” or any letter. As soon as the ticket buyers purchase the lottery tickets, they will immediately receive the lottery ticket number and the lottery drawing date either via 127 telebirr SMS or 605 SMS sent from NALA based on the platform the tickets are purchased and the lottery ticket prices will be deducted from their deposited telebirr account/airtime.
Geremew said during the launching program that the new digital lottery system will modernize the already existing lottery system. He also extended his gratitude to Ethio telecom for letting the system to get implemented.
Tewodros Niway, Communication Director with NALA for his part said that the Administration has sold 966 million Birr worth lotteries last Ethiopian fiscal year, until the end of July 8, 2021. He also disclosed that 140.1 million Birr was paid to lottery vendors in the last 60 years.
NALA is celebrating its 60th year’s anniversary.
The first digital lottery winners will be disclosed on August 16, 2022.
Frehiwet Tamiru, CEO of Ethio Telecom said that the main challenge to expand digital activities is the erroneous attitude about the services. “But, we have to move a step forward to modernize the way we do things,” she added.
Meanwhile, Biruk Adhane, Mobile Money Chief Officer at Ethio Telecom said that the Telebirr mobile money transfer and payment system is a secured system and it can modernize the lottery draw system.
Ethio telecom has 65 million customers throughout the country.
Telebirr has been subscribed by 21.14 million customers, 89 master agents, more than 74 thousand agents and 21.65 thousand merchants within a short span of time.
In addition, Ethio telecom’s telebirr based transaction amount has reached 25.67 billion Birr integrating with 13 banks to transfer money from bank to telebirr and with 10 banks to transfer money from telebirr to bank demonstrating its being best digital payment option.
