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NSGC presents Support 4 Sport funding to Commonwealth Games Bid

Thursday, January 18, 2007

The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation (NSGC) showed its “Support 4 Sport” today in a presentation to the 2014 Halifax Commonwealth Games bid. NSGC President and CEO, Marie Mullally, presented a cheque for $175,000 to Halifax 2014 as part of its Support 4 Sport program.

Support 4 Sport is a suite of ticket lottery products where 100% of the profits goes to amateur sport in Nova Scotia. The first ticket in the series is a SuperPack of Commonwealth Games-themed scratch tickets that will raise $500,000 throughout Atlantic Canada for the bid.

“Through the support of Nova Scotians, this ticket has raised $175,000 for the Halifax 2014 Commonwealth Games international bid. We’re here today to present the money Nova Scotia has raised for the bid,” said Mullally. “Thisis about enhancing sports funding from playground to podium. It’s about investing in a stronger, healthier future. That’s what the Commonwealth Games will bring to Halifax and why we are proud to support it.”

With members of Sport Nova Scotia, Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) and Olympic athletes David Kikuchi and Crystal Gilmore in attendance, Scott Logan, CEO of Halifax 2014, accepted the $175,000 cheque.

“Our bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to Halifax in 2014 is about building a stronger, prouder community – a community that benefits from new infrastructure and new programs that will build capacity for our future,” says Logan. “The support of the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation ensures that the benefits will start now for Nova Scotians and last long after the Games are finished.”

All profits from Support 4 Sport branded lottery products go directly to sport in Nova Scotia. The program will raise at least $2 million a year, which represents a 50% increase in current annual provincial sport funding. Half the money ($1 million in 2007-08) will go to the Halifax 2014 Commonwealth Games, and the other half ($1 million in 2007-08) will be distributed by Sport Nova Scotia’s Amateur Sport Fund. Today’s cheque presentation is the first of many to come. The rest of the proceeds from the Commonwealth Games tickets sold in Nova Scotia will go to Sport Nova Scotia. This money will be used to buy sports equipment, create and enhance recreation/participation programming for all ages, support performance training programs for competitive athletes and hire coaches at all levels.

As part of the Commonwealth Games ticket promotion, the “Share the Dream” ticket contains ten $5,000 prizes. The winners of these prizes are also given the opportunity to direct a $5,000 donation to a local sport organization of their choice. Today, ALC presented Hockey Nova Scotia with its second $5,000 cheque.

The Executive Director of Hockey Nova Scotia, Darren Cossar, was on hand to accept the funding.

“This money means a lot to kids in Nova Scotia with dreams of playing hockey,” said Cossar. “The $10,000 we have received from this lottery ticket will go to support activities like our Hockey for All program that provides ice time and hockey gear to kids who, for what ever reason, are unable to participate in hockey. It’s about giving every kid a chance to experience the game. And now because of Support 4 Sport, we will be able to reach more kids in more communities.”

The Commonwealth ticket is being sold in Atlantic Lottery retail locations across Atlantic Canada. The other three provinces will make cheque presentations to the Bid Committee in the coming months to reach the $500,000 commitment made by ALC.

“Giving back to the community is a cornerstone of ALC’s commitment to being socially responsible,” said Michelle Carinci. “This initiative to support the Commonwealth Games Bid Committee is an excellent example of regional cooperation by the four Atlantic Provinces, and we look forward to presentingthe bid committee with a further $325,000 on behalf of New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador at a later date.”

As with all ALC products, these games are only available for sale to adults 19 years of age and older. The next ticket in the series of Support 4 Sport products will be introduced in Nova Scotia in 2007.