Prima, ambu, tern and kwatern are common currency for most punters but the gaming brochures distributed by Maltco Lotteries have ruffled the feathers of the most dedicated of gamblers.

Maltese version expected shortly

The reason for this is that the two brochures, called Change your life... Play Super 5 and Lotto it's Your Choice, are solely in English when most punters would better understand such promotional material if it were in Maltese.

A spokesman for Maltco said when contacted that because of a number of technical terms, the company found it much easier to prepare the brochure copy in English.

"It has taken us much longer to get a proper translation in Maltese. We expected a much better service from the translators because we have had to go over the Maltese version and correct it ourselves," the spokesman added.

Maltco plans to have these two brochures in Maltese available at lotto offices in under a month's time. During televised draws, the programme presenter explains how to play the games.

Another complaint by punters is that they are at times told off by lotto receivers when they present the Super 5 coupon already filled in to be used for consecutive draws and the coupon is crumpled.

One irate punter said: "How can I keep a coupon from becoming crumpled? A lotto receiver told me in a brash manner that I ought to keep the coupon in a 'safe place'. I keep the coupon in my wallet which I hold in the back pocket of my trousers".

Asked to comment about this complaint, the Maltco spokesman noted that the company was weighing the possibilities of producing a coupon holder to keep the coupon in a good condition.

"A creased coupon passed through the sensitive machines installed in lotto offices could very easily read out a combination of numbers because the machine 'can be fooled' by reading the creases as numbers," the spokesman noted.

Maltco Lotteries has an exclusive licence to operate all national lottery games in Malta. The company is operating most of the games that previously were run by the Department of Public Lotto.

Maltco was set up this year with 73 per cent shareholding held by Intralot SA and the remaining 27 per cent owned by Maltese businessmen.

Intralot ranks third worldwide as a revenue earner among integrated lottery systems suppliers.