26 At the most recent PGRI Lottery Expo, I shared some new trend and player research in a talk called “2022 Forecast: Blue Skies and Bright Clouds.” That optimistic title reflects the historic growth that lotteries experienced during a challenging time, as the industry adapted to better serve players – and players found new fun in engaging with lottery, fueling a global resurgence. Optimism also seems right as we look ahead to the new year, which promises further acceleration of industry modernization. For one thing, “bright clouds” are literally going to be part of lottery’s future, in the form of Cloud Computing. During a special online event in December, IGT explored Cloud technology with customers as part of our Players Project series, with independent experts on Cloud deployment sharing how other state and private organizations are taking advantage of this exciting area of technology. You can find the highlights from that discussion elsewhere in this issue of PGRI. But that’s just one part of the blue-sky picture. What about the players themselves? We all saw during the pandemic how external events drove consumer behavioral changes, with more people ordering online, using self-service at retail, and adopting digital solutions. As an industry, we’ve been talking about this phenomenon for some time. The questions now: • How will these behavioral shifts impact lottery play and purchase expectations going forward? • How do lottery technology and retail modernization need to coalesce to support those changes? New research into player motivations and behaviors forecasts an exciting year ahead for the lottery industry. “Onward and Upward” should be our mantra. MICHELLE CARNEY, IGT VICE PRESIDENT GLOBAL LOTTERY MARKETING
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