Public Gaming November/December 2020

31 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 N o longer an emerging trend but an established reality, online purchasing affects consumer behavior in all areas of commerce. According to 2019-2020 data, 77% of global consum- ers shopped online, while 64% used their smartphones to make purchases at least once a month (Foresight Fac- tory, Consumer Trends). For US con- sumers, monthly shopping via smart- phone leaped from 31% in 2015 to 57% in 2019. Lotteries have been lagging in the glob- al online commerce revolution, partly due to regulatory restrictions but also due to their strong retail heritage and hesitation to change an established and profitable operation. Recently, the CO- VID-19 pandemic forced governments to implement country-wide lockdowns. According to La Fleur’s, US Lotteries, which offer iLottery solutions, posted a 47% increase in Internet revenues and a 50% increase in e-instant revenues in the first quarter of 2020. Additionally, new customer registrations skyrocketed. For example, the New Hampshire (NH) Lot- tery reported a 58% increase in player registrations and a 110% increase in first-time depositors. INTRALOT has been on the “iLottery forefront” well before it became a trend or a reality. Lotos Xi, INTRALOT’s latest state-of-the-art digital Lottery solution, is a holistic offering that enables Lotter- ies to embark on the digital transforma- tion journey, rapidly and securely. In terms of infrastructure, iLottery solu- tions should be quickly deployed and adjusted to any hardware demand varia- tions, i.e., processing power, memory or disk capacity, etc. Designed and developed with flexibility, scalability, and speed of deployment in mind, Lotos Xi is fully and easily scalable, secure and cloud-ready, allowing Lotteries to choose between public, private or hybrid cloud infrastructure, and thus reduce the total cost of ownership. Feature-wise, any basic iLottery solution should include a gaming portal offering online ticket purchasing and e-payment options, and a Player Account Manage- ment system supporting player registra- tion and promoting responsible gaming. A more elaborate iLottery solution may also include native applications offer- ing an elevated play experience, as well as push notifications for personalized, immediate and engaging marketing. Available in two feature-rich editions, INTRALOT’s LotosXi can meet the needs of any Lottery: from the fast launch of a mobile-optimized online Lottery portal that offers subscription and online ticket purchasing, to a total online presence including native mobile applications, push notifications and online marketing features. With more than 65% of gaming portal traffic originating from mobile devices, any iLottery solution should focus on mobile device access. On that front, LotosXi offers an unparalleled mobile experience. The gaming portal is fully responsive, using a mobile-first ap- proach that ensures optimal UI/UX for mobile devices and a powerful built-in CMS that allows Lottery operators to manage the site layout per viewport, offering a fascinating player journey for all screen sizes. Furthermore, the LotosXi native applications for iOS and Android use totally native implementa- tion, as well as mobile push notifications opening a new communication channel between Lotteries and end users. Rapid deployment and fast time-to-mar- ket are key factors that alleviate the ef- fects of retail setbacks due to lockdowns or social distancing measures. LotosXi offers a turn-key solution that can be deployed and made fully operational within weeks, without compromises in the features offered. This is possible because INTRALOT designed LotosXi with a set of fast deployment function- alities: it is configurable and ready-to- play, supporting all families of numerical games and boasting an embedded Player Account Management system with advanced responsible gaming features, a Lottery portal with gaming- ready widgets managed and configured by a CMS, and a pre-integrated pay- ment solution. Alternatively, operators may opt for the full online solution, which also includes native mobile applications; a Player Account Management system enriched with marketing capabilities such as player segmentations, online promo- tions, bonuses and loyalty features, a full-featured wallet pre-integrated with the majority of gaming payment provid- ers and a mobile push notifications and campaign management system for boosting player engagement. To sustain their sales operations in today’s challenging business environ- ment, Lotteries need to become faster, more agile and more versatile, adopting an out-of-the-box approach regarding online solutions. By offering fast and engaging multichannel content in a user- friendly and simplified manner, INTRA- LOT’s LotosXi provides a unified player experience, driving the efficiency and growth of Lottery operators worldwide. n LOTOSXI: EMPOWERING LOTTERIES IN THEIR “FIGHT” AGAINST THE PANDEMIC by Sotirios Sklavounos, Customer Experience Director, INTRALOT Group