Blackhawk Network to Offer New Way to Purchase Lottery at Grocery Stores

PLEASANTON, Calif., Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. shoppers will soon be able to purchase jackpot games such as Powerball and Mega Millions at grocery retail checkout and have the numbers sent to their mobile device, making playing the lottery more convenient and fun. This unique innovation is the result of an exclusive partnership between lottery technology provider Linq3 and Blackhawk Network, a global financial technology company and a leader in connecting brands and people through branded value solutions. The program is subject to individual state lottery approval and is expected be available in select states at participating grocery retailers starting in late 2017.

"With the live ticket technology, shoppers will be able to easily purchase lottery tickets in the grocery locations they regularly frequent and have lottery numbers sent to their mobile phone, providing them with a streamlined experience," said David Tate, Blackhawk Network senior vice president, U.S. Business. "Additionally, it simplifies the lottery purchasing path, which is expected to make this a more popular choice among retailers' customers."

Big jackpot games will be available for sale at participating retail checkout lanes across the U.S. as states approve. Shoppers playing lottery games in this new way will activate their purchase via text and have their lottery numbers delivered in real time to a mobile phone with text and picture messaging capability. Shoppers will also be able to track their results virtually and have most prizes paid electronically.

"We look forward to leveraging our leading-edge lottery platform within Blackhawk Network's vast distribution footprint of premier retailers. This provides lottery a new and efficient way to offer products to their customers, giving them access to a new lottery experience that's interesting and exciting," said Daniel Cage, founder and president of Linq3. "This program is designed to operate within current regulatory guidelines and provides lotteries the ability to significantly impact the growth of lottery revenues for their states."

About Blackhawk Network
Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAWK) is a global financial technology company and a leader in connecting brands and people through branded value solutions. Blackhawk platforms and solutions enable the management of stored value products, promotions and incentive programs in retail, ecommerce, financial services and mobile wallets. Blackhawk's Hawk Commerce division offers technology solutions to businesses and direct to consumers. The Hawk Incentives division offers enterprise, SMB and reseller partners an array of platforms and branded value products to incent and reward consumers, employees and sales channels. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Blackhawk operates in 26 countries. For more information, please visit blackhawknetwork.com, hawkcommerce.com, hawkincentives.com or our product websites giftcards.com, giftcardmall.com, cardpool.com, giftcardlab.com and omnicard.com.

About Linq3
Linq3 is a technology solution provider that holds regulatory approvals and state licenses that allow it to generate and distribute lottery tickets through a proprietary technology platform. This platform uses existing point of sale (POS) devices at major retailers across the United States. The company has offices in Atlanta, Ga. and Long Beach, Ca.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are indicated by words or phrases such as "guidance," "believes," "expects," "intends," "forecasts," "can," "could," "may," "anticipates," "estimates," "plans," "projects," "seeks," "should," "targets," "will," "would," "outlook," "continuing," "ongoing," and similar words or phrases and the negative of such words and phrases. Forward-looking statements are based on Blackhawk's current plans and expectations and involve risks and uncertainties which are, in many instances, beyond its control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in or contemplated or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, successfully and timely obtaining of individual state lottery approval and the continuance of exclusive partnership between Linq3 and Blackhawk. Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those described in Blackhawk's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the risks and uncertainties set forth in Item 1A under the heading "Risk Factors" in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and other subsequent periodic reports it files with the SEC. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Blackhawk undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect developments or information obtained after the date hereof and disclaim any obligation to do so other than as may be required by law.

CONTACT: Courtney Brunkow, (303) 717-9575, [email protected]

SOURCE Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc.

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