Public Gaming International Magazine March/April 2021

27 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2021 players,” he said. “Careful consideration should be given to selecting a CRM platform with the right capabilities, developing an e ective marketing strategy that includes bonusing, and operating the program with experienced digital CRM experts.” e PlayLottery group at IGT wants to make sure iLottery players stay engaged and return to their customers’ sites. “Keeping a player engaged is a much easier and cost- e cient task than trying to win-back a lapsed player,” said Karri. “A robust player relationship program using analytics to engage players with the right campaigns via multi-channel communications is a key requirement to keep the player base active and to prevent churn.” With the tools in place to attract and register players, the attention of lotteries must turn to engagement. And not just eeting attention but sustained and robust engagement where players return to the site frequently and continue to interact with the products o ered. e pioneers have found that it is not enough to just provide the tools that bring players. e iLottery sites have to o er content that keeps players coming back. “ e program must have the right portfolio of eInstant games to attract new players and to keep them engaged through delivering an optimum play experience,” said Karri Paavilainen, Senior Director, PlayLot- tery Marketing, for IGT, which runs the programs for Kentucky, Georgia and Rhode Island lotteries. “Return to Player (RTP) will determine how attractive and sticky the game is. IGT’s experience shows that lotteries have most success with an RTP above 80% as it delivers an experience that players will enjoy and feel good value, and one that they will want to experience again. KARRI PAAVILAINEN, IGT “Secondly a lottery should build digital engagement before its iLottery launch, in the form of a player’s club and loyalty program for example,” he said. “In the rst few weeks, these existing players are most likely to convert to online players without the additional cost of paid advertising. Bonusing can help incentivize trial of the new iLottery product. Bonuses can also incentivize players to complete the iLottery sign-up journey, including bonusing for registration, rst deposit and game play.” From the outset, a successful iLottery program is actually set up by the activity that takes place months and even years before the launch. And that activity is centered on optimizing digital platforms to communicate with and engage the players. “One word: Connection. Connection is the common theme in gearing up for a successful launch and a key ingredient in sustaining success through the online channel,” said Liz Silver, General Manager, NeoPollard Interactive, which works with the iLottery programs for Michigan, Virginia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Alberta. “ e team tasked with delivering a suc- cessful iLottery launch will dedicate their e orts to understanding player connection points, business system connection points and operational connection points. How will players interact with iLottery (web, mobile, app), what data should be collected at each step in the player journey, what o ers should be crafted to connect to players, which games will evoke excitement, how will the player experience carry throughout player support contacts or payout of player winnings?” LIZ SIVER, NEOPOLLARD INTERACTIVE “Launching an iLottery program can be viewed as the merging of building blocks from digital programs and delivery channels (websites and apps) that lotteries are already managing today,” she said. “iLottery introduces an opportunity to centralize these activities to support e ective engagement and monetization.” Given the many consumer touch-points and tentacles of iLottery programs, lotteries and their business partners invest no small measure of human and capital resources ensuring smooth operation, seamless data collection and stakeholder awareness. Of course, methods di er from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but the basics are typically present with all programs. For example, NeoPollard Interactive works with its customers on their relationships with brick- and-mortar retailers. “ e most successful iLottery programs also create connections to retail – either through payments, produc- tions, promotions or partner programs,” said Liz. “ ese connections also bene t from the consistent advice to engage retail stakeholders early and often by de ning the cross-channel strategies that will support the retail network when iLottery is available.” Most lotteries, even those that cannot launch iLottery due to regulatory constraints, have the building blocks in place for digital expansion. Player clubs were rst introduced more than a decade ago, have grown since and are now o ered by most lotteries. ese platforms allow for a smoother segue to the expanded digital platform that engages the players in the interactive relationship that is the basis for a successful iLottery program. Instant Win Gaming (IWG) brings an interesting perspective to the discussion. As a leading supplier of iLottery games, IWG works with all platform providers as well as the lotteries o ering iLottery. us, over