The first new National Lottery retail concept store opened its doors to the public in Ħamrun on Saturday.
The new concept store comes a week after the national lottery marks 100 years since the first draw of the lotto game in Malta, which took place on 10 February 1923.
National Lottery plc took over the operations of the national lottery of Malta in July 2022 and since then embarked on an investment programme in a bid to modernise and expand the retail distribution network of the national lottery of Malta.
The inauguration of the new store is part of the investment programme that will see National Lottery plc invest €10 million in the next two years to upgrade its retail network.
The investment in the retail distribution network is considered one of the strategic pillars through which National Lottery plc aims to grow the popularity of the national lottery.
Unveiling the first store of its kind, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said such an investment programme is a bid to bring the games of the national lottery closer to the public.
“The creation of further jobs in the industry and the new investment that the company is undertaking to reposition the national lottery are indeed encouraging and prove that the underlying fundamentals of the gaming industry in Malta are indeed strong.”
National Lottery plc Chief Commercial Officer Franco De Gabriele said the creation of a new store concept was an essential part of the company’s growth.
“Over the past year we have been working tirelessly to create a comprehensive retail distribution plan that would allow the company to service the strong demand for our products,” he said.
He said through the investment in the new store and continuous investment in their lottery agents, the company is confident that the market demand will be fulfilled in the best possible manner.
“We aim to upgrade all our current retail distribution network and launch 60 new stores over the next two years. This will create job opportunities for those that would like to form part of the National Lottery family.”
It has been estimated that 200 new jobs will be created in the evolving industry through the investment process.