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LMR Lottery Consulting Inc., the engine behind London’s Dream Home Lottery, has been acquired by online gaming firm Ascend Fundraising Solutions

Photo: LMR Lottery Consulting Inc. president, Rita Fieder

LONDON-BASED LET’S MAKE RESULTS (LMR) Lottery Consulting Inc., a firm licensed by the province to run charitable lotteries (think 50-50 draws and dream home lotteries) has been acquired by Ascend Fundraising Solutions, a Toronto-based provider of online gaming-based charitable fundraising.

The acquisition is being described as a tactical marriage of sorts, bringing together an established charitable lottery operator in LMR with Ascend, who have carved a niche for themselves in running online fundraising lotteries for clients in Canada, the U.S. and the UK.

LMR is licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to run charitable gaming in the province, including the popular Dream Lottery series in support of London hospitals. The 2021 Spring Dream Lottery (the grand prize and 50/50 winners will be announced on June 17) set a new sales record, selling out in 14 days.

Ascend, meanwhile, counts several professional sports leagues, including the NHL, MLB and the NFL, as clients and has built a name for itself in operating the online 50-50 draws during major sporting events.

“We’re really excited,” says Rita Fieder, president of LMR. “We’ve done work with them in the past, and it really was a very good fit. It’s the one-stop shop where you can really come to one place. For the organizations that are lightly staffed, running theses lotteries takes a lot of time energy and resources, and that’s why they come to organizations like us to help them out.”

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According to Fieder, LMR will continue to operate as an independent entity here in London.

“Independent but really together, as well,” Fieder adds. “It’s really a business marriage, I guess you could say, in terms of us working together.”

Fieder says the merger will mean they can serve charities and non-profits more fully. LMR, accustomed to operating in more traditional medias like print and radio for their marketing campaigns, can now lean on the digital know-how that has helped make Ascend a successful company.

“We’ve been impressed by the Ascend team and their focus on excellence,” says Fieder. “We believe that our turnkey solution, powered by Ascend’s industry leading technology, will drive significant online revenue and donor acquisition for our customers ― making our value proposition that much stronger.”

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“We are relentlessly focused on delivering outstanding results and exceptional support for our customers,” adds Daniel Lewis, Ascend’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have Rita Fieder and her team join our Ascend brand and bring their shared values of excellence and over 35 years of lottery program experience to the table.”

“People are happy that they can come if they’re interested in running a mega lottery or something smaller,” says Fieder. “We’re now able to help organizations right from the get-go.”

Financial details of the acquisition are undisclosed. Kieran Delamont