SOUTH FORSYTH — Gov. Nathan Deal was among those who gathered Monday to celebrate the use of new technology at a south Forsyth business.
Representatives of Scientific Games welcomed the governor and other dignitaries to a ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Alpha P-7, the company’s most advanced manufacturing technology for printing instant lottery games.
Jim Kennedy, executive vice president, which produces tickets for more than 120 lotteries worldwide, said the new technology will allow Scientific Games to manufacture some 53,000 secure lottery instant game tickets per minute.
“This year alone, that press, that single press — one of four in this building and one of 11 worldwide — will produce $2 billion of revenue for good causes,” Kennedy said.
He added that the new technology will also allow Scientific Games to add some 40 new jobs throughout 2014. Those 40 will join more than 1,000 people who work at the site, which opened in 1992.
“In those days, we produced approximately 100 lottery games a year for primarily a U.S. market,” Kennedy said.
“Today, 22 years later, we gather to welcome this new link in the chain of global state-of-the-art technology and security, where we support over 100 games every two weeks, far more complex games for lotteries not just in the U.S. but around the world.”
Deal congratulated the company, which has produced tickets for the Georgia lottery program since it began in 1992, calling it “a great corporate citizen.”
“We are here to celebrate a business partner with the state of Georgia,” Deal said. “One that has been our partner with our scholarship programs associated with HOPE and our lottery program from its very inception.”
Deal also praised the company for its job creation.
Scientific Games began its south Forsyth operation with about 200 employees. According to Kennedy, it now employs people in “manufacturing jobs, technology jobs, web developers, software developers, chemists, engineers and the folks in the plant.”
Deal thanked the company for its continued modernization and contributions to the lottery program.
“Job creation, which is one of my primary areas of importance, has been achieved by this great and long partnership,” Deal said.
According to Deal and Debbie Alford, president of the Lottery Commission, who also attended Monday’s event, Georgia’s program has collected and distributed more than $15 billion “for education purposes in the state.”
Alford added that the lottery program “returns over $2.5 million every day” to HOPE scholarship recipients and 4-year-olds taking part in the state’s pre-kindergarten program.