32 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 Players welcome the opportunity to enjoy games whenever and wherever they want – and providing familiar retail draw games via the digital channel offers an opportunity to increase player engagement. The benefits to players are multi-fold: For one, the game mechanics are the same digitally as they are at a retailer, making the games easy to understand. Players have the added benefit of a digital transaction history, which means no more worries about a lost winning ticket. In the digital channel, ticket transactions and win history are securely saved, winners are notified through the app or via email, and low-tier wins are deposited directly into their lottery eWallet. There’s yet another reason to include digital draw and quick-draw games as part of an iLottery offering: In many iLottery programs, eInstants may account for more total revenue, however digital draw and quick-draw games yield higher margins as the payout percentages are typically lower for eDraw (50%) and iKeno (60%) compared to eInstants (ranging from 65% - 85%). IGT’s technical advantage with standardized APIs and native integration with IGT retail central game servers gives lottery customers the opportunity to offer all the features online that they do at retail. IGT’s robust central game server, which serves over 80% of the world’s lotteries, provides an advantage when deploying the IGT catalog of draw games. Eight global lotteries are now live with IGT online draw games, and these lotteries continue to add more retail games into their digital product mix. The Kentucky Lottery Corporation (KLC) has seen positive results with digital draw games sales. In FY21, online draw sales averaged 13% of all online sales. Pick 3 and Pick 4 have accounted for 25% of online draw-based game sales since the Q3 launch and added 2% incremental sales. “Our players have consistently asked us to offer our daily Pick 3 and Pick 4 games digitally, and I’m pleased that with IGT’s support we could respond to their feedback by adding these two products to our digital channels,” said Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Mary Harville. “We will continue to engage our players by adding our CASH POP™ game to the platform at the end of January, and by Q2 2022, we’ll have our entire retail draw games portfolio available on our digital channels. This will be a great benefit to players and will help our iLottery channel continue its record-breaking sales pace in a socially responsible way.” Cross-Channel Keno Players also gravitate to digital channels to play quick-draw games like keno. IGT is the only iLottery vendor with live online keno games. Because the game is integrated with the retail system, it offers another benefit: No separation between channels. The same keno draw that a player sees on a physical monitor is available online and in the app as the draw occurs. KLC’s iKeno also experienced a sales increase in FY21 due to more people playing online. On average, iKeno sales represented 53% of digital draw games sales, and iKeno increased by 7% year-over-year. “Pre-pandemic, the mobile app was an added convenience for players who were at a physical location purchasing and watching keno monitors,” observed Srini Nedunuri, IGT Vice President iLottery. “Players using the mobile app enjoyed a true second-screen experience because they could purchase right from the phone and watch the draw online while socializing with friends. With the onset of the pandemic, the digital experience allowed players to purchase online and watch the draw on their computers or via the app. Also, while players wait to watch the draw, they can try an eInstant game. These options not only serve player needs but have the added benefit of allowing them to sample and engage with more lottery products.” Q For more information about IGT’s iLottery products including digital draw, iKeno, and award-winning CASH POP™, contact your IGT Account Manager. At the mention of iLottery games, it’s often eInstants that first come to mind. But digital draw games and quick-draw games like iKeno and IGT’s hit game CASH POP™ are growth-driving portfolio additions that offer appealing new experiences for players. Beyond eInstants: Exploring Digital Draw Games Players enjoy added engagement opportunities when they watch the draw via the website and can play or sample new eInstant games.
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