Public Gaming July/August 2016

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make sure we talk about the
dollars and not the percent-
age because the retailers like
to remind us about the low
margin. We point out that
you can’t take the percentage
to the bank—it’s the dollars you take to the bank. For example,
we want to get the retailers’ support to advertise at the pump. By
appreciating that the retailers’ goal is to cause the consumer to
come into the store, the sell is that we are helping to drive store
traffic that will end up buying not just lottery products but an
additional basket of goods.
Adam Perlow: I think there’s going to be a competition for
space when it comes to digital displays. There is an argument
to be made for having large displays at retail with digital menu
boards and tying that into the ordering and planogram process.
Technology is expensive, but it’s less expensive than the alterna-
tive of not maximizing product awareness. Tom is having great
success in Florida with this strategy as are other lotteries around
the country. Digital technologies in general will be key to en-
hancing the consumer in-store
experience as well as maximiz-
ing product awareness.
Tom Delacenserie: There
was a time when the only way
that you could advertise the jackpot was by using a small eraser
board that looked like a billboard and it would be on the counter.
Except that the retailer had to wipe off the old jackpot to update
it with the new. So it always understated the actual jackpot. It
cost money to upgrade that process but clearly it was a good
investment. There is always a cost to modernizing, and we need
to be willing to invest.
John Pittman: Recalling the original question about how do
we get more space and more favorable location at the retailers.
We need to educate. The thought process for Lottery, Vendor,
and Retailer needs to be informed about the facts of what leads
to success. Do our retailers understand the per-square-foot prof-
itability of Lottery? Or the cost advantages of a product that they
There is always a cost to modernizing,
and we need to be willing to invest.
—Tom Delacenserie