Press Release

Pollard Banknote Adds BANANAGRAMS® To Its Bunch Of Licensed Brands

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, October 30, 2017 /CNW/ – Pollard Banknote Limited (TSX: PBL) (“Pollard Banknote”) a leading lottery partner that provides instant tickets, interactive solutions, and marketing support, is excited to announce the addition of BANANAGRAMS® to its expanding licensed games portfolio. Under this new agreement, Pollard Banknote now offers the BANANAGRAMS brand to its lottery clients—the first time this fun-filled word game has been available for use by lotteries.

Since its first introduction to the market over a decade ago, BANANAGRAMS—the word game that drives you bananas—is quickly turning into a classic. With its unique features of transportability—no paper, pencil, or board required—and where fast and frantic players race against each other to build word grids, BANANAGRAMS goes above and beyond the rules of traditional board games in favor of an every-player-for-themselves approach. It is no surprise that this lightning-fast puzzle game has won numerous awards and is known as one of the top must-have travel games.

With over 8 million games sold globally in 35 countries, BANANAGRAMS is available in 13 languages, including French and Spanish, making the brand ‘a-peeling’ to lotteries worldwide!

“Pollard Banknote is excited to offer the BANANAGRAMS brand to our lottery clients,” said Sina Aiello, Vice President, Marketing, Pollard Banknote. “Crossword and board games represent tried-and-true themes in the instant game category. For example, in 2016, crossword games accounted for 14.3% of instant sales in the North American market. BANANAGRAMS rolls these two popular themes into one entertaining game, making it a perfect addition to any lottery’s extended play category. An instant game that combines the BANANAGRAMS’ play style with whimsical graphics is ripe for sales success and guaranteed to generate buzz at retail.”

To make a BANANAGRAMS instant game even more interesting, a lottery can choose to add an interactive second chance component—offering players the chance to win their own BANANAGRAMS game.

Pollard Banknote’s Licensed Games team offers a full turnkey program that includes the design, programming, and printing of themed tickets, as well as 360° marketing support such as second chance draws, a POS program, and broadcast and digital marketing.

About Bananagrams, Inc.
Bananagrams, Inc. is a family-owned Rhode Island company behind a range of innovative table top games, including the international word tile game phenomenon BANANAGRAMS®. Currently available in more than 35 countries and in multiple languages, classic BANANAGRAMS—in its distinctive yellow cloth pouch—has garnered millions of fans worldwide, with new ones sprouting each year via the annual Bananagrams School Challenge. Bananagrams, Inc. strives to help people everywhere rediscover a love for games that stimulate and enrich the mind as well as bring a few laughs—games that make them think outside the crate, so to speak! The brand continues to introduce new titles that they’ve grown in-house, as well those from friends that they’ve met along the way.

About Pollard Banknote

Pollard Banknote is a leading lottery partner to more than 60 lotteries worldwide, providing high quality instant ticket products, licensed games, and strategic marketing and management services for both traditional instant games and the emerging iLottery space of web, mobile and social channels. The company is a proven innovator and has decades of experience helping lotteries to maximize player engagement, sales, and proceeds for good causes. Pollard Banknote also plays a major role in the charitable pull-tab and bingo markets in North America. Established in 1907, Pollard Banknote is owned approximately 73.5% by the Pollard family and 26.5% by public shareholders, and is publicly traded on the TSX (PBL). For more information, please visit our website at www.pollardbanknote.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking” statements and information, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this document, such statements include such words as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “plan,” and other similar terminology. These statements reflect management’s current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this document. There should not be an expectation that such information will in all circumstances be updated, supplemented, or revised whether as a result of new information, changing circumstances, future events, or otherwise.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Sina Aiello
Vice President, Marketing
Email: saiello@pbl.ca

Pollard Banknote Limited
Telephone: (204) 474-2323