Public Gaming International March/April 2021

14 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2021 I n the 1980s classic movie “Back to the Future,” Marty McFly is sent to the 1950s where he meets young versions of his parents. Marty has to convince his parents to fall in love or he and his siblings will cease to exist. After a series of adventures, everything falls into place and Marty returns to real-time. Alas, time-travelling DeLorean’s only exist on the silver screen. But if we could travel back in time, the iLottery leaders of today might want to tell their younger selves, “Don’t worry…everything will work out.” ere was no historical anomaly, disaster, or wrong turn that diverted the launches and ongoing success of iLottery. e early stress propelled iLottery states to gure out the right courses of action to bring us to where we are today. And now, the foundation is set for others to leverage the experience of these early iLottery pioneers to get there even faster. Let’s apply the lessons learned from these iLottery pioneers as we forge ahead with new ideas and insights to maximize revenues for good causes. iLottery is now o ered in di erent forms in Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Virginia, D.C., North Carolina and North Dakota; and most are growing at double-digit rates. Just as important, the online connection is simply vital to preserving the relationship with an audience who expects to a liate with brands on all channels, media, and personal electronic devices. We talked with the leaders of iLottery programs in the U.S. and asked them to hop in our PGRI DeLorean to iLOTTERY LOOKS BACK AS PAST EXPERIENCE INFORMS FUTURE PLANNING Jim Acton, Lottery Industry Consultant, Acton Strategies