LuckySurf.com, AltaVista Partner for European Expansion

LuckySurf.com will use its private-labeled Web lottery to drive repeat traffic to AltaVista’s European properties, through terms of a deal announced Thursday.

Visitors to AltaVista’s UK site will be able to enter into a free, daily chance at winning $1 million, or other prizes.

Players pick seven numbers out of 50 and validate their entry by clicking on a banner ad. The LuckySurf.com version for the UK will be localized for British users; for example, the choice of advertisements on which the players click to validate their choice of numbers will be specific to the UK market.

The deal also encompasses similar programs on AltaVista’s French and German sites. The companies said they planned to roll out the program for other European countries at a later date.

The move marks an effort by Silicon Valley-based LuckySurf, which operates its own site in the U.S., to expand its B2B lottery business internationally.

“As we move into European markets, we are benefiting from our experience of becoming one of the top two free lottery sites in the extremely competitive U.S. market,” said LuckySurf.com co-founder Daniel Laury.

“To ensure that our European expansion succeeds, we are adapting to each country’s culture and choosing the right strategic partners. AltaVista shares our vision for reaching European users, and we look forward to a mutually successful partnership.”

The LuckySurf package will augment AltaVista UK’s existing agreement with Lottery.co.uk, which provides entries into the UK’s national lottery. The search engine did not disclose how it plans to integrate the two offerings.