Public Gaming International March/April 2021

20 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2021 A unique aspect to the Pennsylvania launch was that because of the compressed launch schedule, the lottery was given expedited procurement authority in the expanded gaming legislation. is allowed the lottery to suspend the typical RFP process and enter into an initial two-year contract. While that sounds helpful, it was a double- edged sword for the lottery. “Selecting a vendor was the only way we could launch quickly, but with only a two-year contract, it also meant that we almost immedi- ately had to start planning for a full RFP process,” said Stephanie. One component of the Pennsylvania platform that was important to Drew and Stephanie was to provide an open platform. e RFP was designed to give the primary vendor a nancial incentive to partner with the best third-party game providers. e platform provider assumes costs and adds value to the process of integrating third-party content, so the lottery believed they should share in any nancial upsides, share in the success of a diversi ed portfolio of games provided by multiple suppliers. “With di erent companies involved in our program, we are able to gather recommen- dations from a wealth of experts and make very informed decisions,” said Stephanie. “ ese experts are on the forefront of iLottery innovation, so we get the latest in- formation from programs around the world. “One example of this is launch frequency rate. Is it weekly, every other week? Are more games better? We have our opinions, and we can work it out with the experts who have operated in other jurisdictions.” So what advice does Stephanie have for her lottery colleagues? “When someone reaches out, I tell them to do what they can in advance to prepare their organization and players,” she said. “Build out your digital infrastructure, your online community, your database of players. ink about your team – who are the key people in your orga- nization who can be a part of your iLottery program, who are up to the challenge. “And call on other lotteries that are o ering iLottery programs. We are all more than happy to share information and lessons learned along the way. With the number of lotteries o ering iLottery, there are now best practices available to the industry. And the vendor community is a great resource, even for lotteries where iLottery might be far down the road. ere are a lot of experts available to help lotteries.” KELLEY-JAYE CLELAND NEW HAMPSHIRE LOTTERY K elley-Jaye Cleland is the living, breathing example of Ferris Bueller’s observation that “Life moves pretty fast.” In the summer of 2017, she was the Director of Sales and Product Development, making sure her sales representatives had the tools to properly service their retailer network and planning their ticket releases. en in July of that year, the NH Legislature broke the gaming dam and placed iLottery, Keno and sports gaming on the lottery’s plate. Instead of heading for the state’s famous White Mountains, Kelley-Jaye and her team dug in and tackled their new tasks with gusto. “With a small team, we focused on Keno rst and launched that product on December 15, 2017,” she said. “We quickly pivoted to mapping out what we wanted for iLottery. With an extension to the Intralot gaming system contract also came the addition of utilizing a third party for iLottery. e vendor chosen for that was NeoPollard Interactive, due to their success in Michigan as well as their seamless user experience.” KELLEY-JAYE CLELAND NEW HAMPSHIRE LOTTERY en, in September 2018, New Hampshire joined the small group of lotteries that o er iLottery programs. On the occasion of the launch, Executive Director Charlie McIntyre said: “ e New Hampshire Lottery’s focus is squarely on our players. Everything we do is driven by our players, and we are constantly striving to o er players new opportunities. iLottery is a strategic response to our technology- driven culture – you can now play the New Hampshire Lottery anywhere while in New Hampshire.” Starting with eight eInstant games at launch, the New Hampshire program has grown quickly. e iLottery program now features 55 eInstant games, Mega Millions and Powerball, with new eInstants launching every other week and plans for additional draw games. Financially, iLottery has been a boon to the state of New Hampshire. In Fiscal Year 2020, iLottery brought in $10.73 million in net gaming revenue; half-way through FY21 the program had earned $10.96 million in net gaming revenue. Today, in a re ection of her expanded role at the lottery, Kelley-Jaye now holds the position of Chief Product and Program O cer. Since iLottery launched, the NH Lottery also o ers sports gambling, both through mobile devices and in-person at two sports books. (Sports betting is overseen by a separate team under the guidance of Director McIntyre.) With all these gaming options, Kelley-Jaye and Charlie nonetheless stress the importance of supporting their retailer network. “You cannot forget your roots,” Kelley-Jaye said. “ e majority of our pro ts still come from scratch tickets. We are constantly looking for ways to integrate iLottery into retail and vice versa. In whatever we do, we always have our retail partners in mind.” What is Kelley-Jaye’s advice to other states considering iLottery? Here are a few of her tips: n Be sure your website is ready for e-commerce – from a mobile- rst approach to load testing to a clean user- friendly experience. n If you choose a di erent vendor than your incumbent lottery systems vendor, remember you need to stand-up a separate Internal Control System, Remote Gaming system, and the like. n Start creating your digital strategy. Having a player’s club to begin the player acquisition process is super helpful. Ensure your advertising agency is steeped in e-commerce/digital. Marketing for iLottery is di erent than traditional lottery. And iLottery marketing is a heavy lift. ere are two sides to it – retention marketing/CEM/ CRM and acquisition marketing. n If you have a Business Intelligence (BI) tool, you are in good shape. Access to raw data and a visualization tool is important – and having people who can interpret those to ensure you are making data-driven decisions is key. Continued on page 45