Public Gaming Magazine July/August 2020

14 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JULY/AUGUST 2020 J ust weeks after Stephanie Weyant served as moderator of the iLottery panel, the Pennsylvania Lottery iLottery program soared past the $1 billion mark in revenue just before its two-year anniversary. In her opening remarks in Miami, Stephanie explained why iLottery programs are critical for keeping lotteries relevant in today’s increasingly technology-driven world. “iLottery might represent incremental growth right now but I rmly believe that it is also the future of our industry,” Stephanie said. “It is about staying relevant, expanding the player base, expanding points of distribution, reaching players where they are located, and meeting players’ expectations. We really don’t have a choice but to o er technology-driven options to our players.” With that opening note of iLottery optimism, the panelists delved into a variety of topics critical to the future of interactive platforms in the lottery industry. Charlie McIntyre, who now oversees lottery AND sports betting in the Granite State, believes that the results in New Hampshire – which o ers a full iLottery program – certainly support Stephanie’s point. While Powerball and Mega Millions sales have struggled nationwide this year, the New Hampshire Lottery has seen a surge of online play for the multi-state games. “Our Powerball and Mega Millions year- on-year sales have soared online – up 80% for Powerball, 28% for Mega Millions,” Charlie said. “All while we have seen the same in-store activity drops as other lotteries. So we know there are players who want to play these games, they just don’t want to go to the stores to play. Most of us wouldn’t consider these traditional lottery products as internet products but now we do 1/10th of our Powerball sales through iLottery. And we expect that share to increase going forward. Obviously, we need to re-calibrate our overall thinking on what works and doesn’t work as more lotteries go online, and best-practices get re ned over time.” Charlie will certainly nd a kindred spirit in Doug Pollard. As the Co-CEO of NeoPollard Interactive (“NPi”), which powers the some of the most pro table iLottery programs, Doug’s team has launched programs in Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire and, through a recent enhancement of its existing deployment, another full iLottery solution in Virginia, in addition to a forthcoming program with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission. He sees iLottery as not a “nice to have” but a “need to have” for lotteries. “ e data is clear – we know this is going to deliver incremental sales, we know it’s going to deliver younger players, we know it’s going to create convenience, and we know we’re going to attract some people who won’t go into a convenience store for whatever reason,” Doug said. “Retail is still a really good space for lottery to be in and we do a good job in it. We’ve got to keep doing a good job. But iLottery is an area where if you want to get to those younger players, you have to provide online access.” From New Hampshire to Pennsylvania to Kentucky to Georgia to Virginia, iLottery programs are becoming more commonplace across the lottery landscape. And the pandemic helped many of these programs attract attention and users. To maintain the momentum, lotteries will need to expand focus on interactive games with entertaining winning experiences. Rhydian Fisher, CEO of Instant Win Gaming (IWG), knows a lot about both the iLottery poised to explode onto the U.S. Lottery scene In early March, prior to the nationwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, lottery industry representatives gathered at the PGRI Smart-Tech 2020 conference in Miami. One of the highlights of the conference was an iLottery panel featuring some of the top public and private sector experts: Stephanie Weyant, Dep. Exec. Director, Marketing and Product, Pennsylvania Lottery Doug Pollard, Co-CEO, NeoPollard Interactive and Pollard Banknote Charlie McIntyre, Executive Director, New Hampshire Lottery Rhydian Fisher, CEO, Instant Win Gaming Shannon DeHaven, Deputy Director, Michigan Lottery The following is a synopsis of the lively and enlightening discussion which took place between panelists at the conference. PGRI DISCUSSION