Public Gaming International Magazine March/April 2021

21 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2021 FULL STEAM AHEAD VIRGINIA SEES EARLY iLOTTERY SUCCESS, AND THEY’RE NOT SLOWING DOWN NOW W hile the path was as windy as a back- country road, the Virginia Lottery finally reached its iLot- tery destination last July. With the launch of a new platform, Virginia joined its fellow iLot- teries in offering its players the latest technology that brings the excitement of lottery games into their homes and onto their mobile devices. And the results have been extraordinary. Before the July launch, Virginia predicted eInstant sales for Fiscal Year 2021 to reach $228 million. The estimates were based on the first-year sales from the lotteries that had previously launched iLot- tery platforms. But every state is different and faces unique sales pressures, so Virginia wasn’t sure what to expect. How are the results through the first six months? In a word – amazing. “By bringing many of our games online and introducing eInstants to Virgin- ians, not only were we able to meet some of our existing players where they already were – online – but we are also attracting new players,” said Virginia Lottery Execu- tive Director Kevin Hall. “The increase in excitement of iLottery is directly translating into increasing revenue for our important mission of sup- porting Virginia’s K-12 public schools.” iLottery ended the first six months of the fiscal year with more than $280 million in topline play, contributing to nearly $350 million in overall lottery profits. “The most impres- sive part about our introduction of this new platform to Virginians is the speed with which we were able to accomplish this,” says Hall. “Once our legislature passed the bill legalizing online play in Virginia, our governor signed it, and we were up and running within three months. iLottery was in-market on the very first day we legally were permitted to offer it.” SUCCESS ALL AROUND At the same time that players were registering and utilizing the digital platform, sale of lottery products at the Virginia Lottery’s brick-and-mortar retailers were thriving. In other iLottery states across the country and the world, past performance indicated that digital and at-retail sales would complement one another and that proved to be the case in Virginia, too. iLottery does not cannibalize retail sales. iLottery brings in new customers and augments retail sales. “Retail launched and built our industry, and retail will remain the core of our business,” Kevin said. “Online sales make lottery products more relevant to digital consumers who place a premium on convenience. At the same time, we are very, very pleased to see strong year-over-year sales growth at the retail counter, too.” Scratch ticket sales are up more than 9% and daily draw game sales at retail have increased more than 20% since iLottery’s July 1 launch, which is amaz- ing considering the headwinds all lotteries hit earlier in the year when the pandemic forced many to stay indoors. This is early proof that iLottery can help strengthen a lottery’s retailer network, as has been seen in other states. In a unique position to bridge the iLottery and traditional sales worlds is Rob Wesley, the Vir- ginia Lottery’s Director of Digital. A 23-year veteran of the Virginia Lottery, Rob’s previous job was running the sales department, so he knows firsthand how to work with the retailer network. “A