27 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 A Closer Look at Motivations & Behaviors To know what’s really driving current player behavior, IGT dove into the performance data and talked to players. This past summer, we commissioned a survey of over 4,500 U.S. lottery instants players to learn how, where, and why they were playing and whether they planned to continue. We followed up with a qualitative survey among a subset of this group, to probe the underlying behaviors and discover why shifts in play may occur. And we evaluated these player responses together with insights from trendspotting agency Foresight Factory to understand what big-picture trends may be impacting behaviors and what might stick moving into 2022. As partners who provide a single integrated retail and digital solution for lotteries and their players, IGT values and uses these insights to inform every aspect of how we serve customers – from product and game development to developing best-in-class, retail-to-digital solutions and roadmaps. While we can't predict the future, we can share what we know to assist customers in anticipating how trends and changing lifestyles might affect their business. To get much more detail on the trends likely to shape consumer demand and behavior in the year ahead, you can download IGT’s annual 2022 Trend Report, available at IGT.com/2022Trends. Following are some highlights: TREND: 1 PERSONAL PACE A reassessment of priorities, often in favor of a slower approach to life How could “personal pace” impact the player routines we just referenced? After the pandemic forced a slower pace of life on many of us, consumers are now rethinking their lives and looking to shift the balance toward leisure and family. Digital technologies contributed to the declining importance of physical location, one of the most recognizable effects being that some workers now have the option to work from anywhere. We’re seeing the rise of what trend forecasters call a “new essentialism,” where, increasingly, consumers are reassessing and focusing on what really matters to them, with a desire to cut down on non-essential expenditures and possessions. Interestingly, lottery players are more likely to gravitate toward a slower Personal Pace lifestyle. When asked by Foresight Factory if they were overwhelmed by the prospect of a busier social calendar, lottery players were more likely to be neutral or agree with this statement. We heard this in our player research as well. In fact, 60% of weekly players agree that they would like to maintain a slower pace of life once COVID restrictions are removed. What does this mean for lotteries? It’s an opportunity to demonstrate products that appeal to different pace-preferences – for example, fast play or extended play. We heard one player talk about how much he enjoys taking the time to scratch each letter on his ticket, a vivid reminder that lottery has a broad portfolio of products that can appeal to different paces of life. Secondly, it’s an opportunity to highlight the fact that lottery is a form of home entertainment. As we heard clearly in our research, people are enjoying lottery play – and it doesn’t require pre-arranging a specific place, date, and time for entertainment. They can engage at their leisure and create a fun experience within or outside of their own household whenever they choose.
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