23 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 throughout the entire family of Aristocrat customers. Innovation that happens with any of our customers is automatically deployed to all Aristocrat Interactive platforms throughout the world. We then will work with our customers to determine if, how, and when they would like those innovations to be turned on. Things move so fast in the digital world that we must continue to find the most efficient ways to execute, from new game content to technical upgrades to transformational innovations. There are new payment systems, new promotions, integrations of third-party technologies and game content, and a host of other fresh solutions to always drive better performance. The benefit we hope to bring to our customers is how Aristocrat Interactive enables the deployment of technical upgrades and innovation to happen more seamlessly and automatically. Do the benefits of these systems result in higher sales and net funding? C. Shaban: Yes, higher sales and an increase in net funding is the objective for these efforts on behalf of our lottery customers, and if fact, the iLottery programs in Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Michigan are the top four per capita in the United States. How did the acquisition of NeoGames by Aristocrat come to happen? C. Shaban: The successful acquisition allows Aristocrat to leverage its world-class gaming content, customer relationships, and expanding capabilities across an even broader range of channels and geographies, adding further to the Group’s resilience, and accelerating growth. NeoGames was acquired for its depth and breadth of iLottery and iGaming expertise, and for its global team of digital professionals. As Aristocrat Interactive’s CEO, Moti Malul points out that NeoGames was “born digital” back in 2004. Being born digital, there is a native understanding about how Mobile apps and websites work, and how to produce the online user-experience that keeps the players engaged and coming back to their favorite – and new – games. Competencies that are mission-critical in the digital world include KYC, CRM, geo-fencing, player acquisition and retention, and dataanalytics. Loyalty programs and Players Clubs also provide new levels of potential in the digital world. In recent months, we have also been able to recruit some of the best digital lottery professionals in the industry to further complement our current team. Rob Wesley spearheaded the super-successful digital initiatives at Virginia Lottery before joining NeoGames as Vice President of North American Customer Development, a position he holds now at Aristocrat Interactive. Stephanie DuVal headed Loyalty, CRM, and Digital Engagement programs at the Virginia Lottery before joining us as Director of Marketing North America. Shane Taylor comes to us from the Massachusetts Lottery and Jessie Teague from the Kentucky Lottery. Our team is steeped in the culture of digital lottery and excited for the opportunity to continue to work with lottery professionals to drive performance for Aristocrat lottery customers going forward. In addition, Aristocrat’s European and Latin American teams have been up and running for many years with NeoGames and are now thriving under the new corporate umbrella of Aristocrat. Traditional retail channels will continue to be primary to lottery’s success. How does Aristocrat Interactive ensure that iLottery complements the retail channel so that both work together in a mutually reinforcing way? C. Shaban: As we all are aware, retail has long been the bread-and-butter foundation of the lottery business. That is why when you add the digital component, like was done in Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and the others, it is helpful to reimagine the business around the omni-channel model. We are not just thinking about the iLottery or retail lottery independently. We work to take a holistic view, especially since the lottery player thinks simply thinks of any channel as part of “their lottery”. And the player wants everything to work together harmoniously, enabling seamless navigation across channels and an intuitive interaction with all lottery touchpoints. This omnichannel model works so well because it brings in new online players who might not otherwise have played lottery, and it enhances the playing experience for the casual and core players, so they stay loyal. Applying this omnichannel view of our business is more crucial than ever as more options to play different games become more readily available to players. And recent studies (including an iLottery report done by Spectrum) have shown that, when effectively executed, retail sales not only continue to increase right alongside iLottery sales, but they also increase at a rate that is higher than the national average. Stated differently, iLottery enhances performance at retail by bringing in new consumers to lottery. Using promotions to incent iLottery players to play at retail, digital lottery can drive retail traffic and lottery play. As we continue to learn and help improve the player journey, and focus on enhancing the overall experience, iLottery sales can be expansive without impairing – and in fact enhancing - retail sales. Isn’t digital lottery as much about player engagement as selling lottery tickets online? C. Shaban: Yes of course. Rob Wesley and his team ramped up Virginia Lottery’s non-wagering digital program years before they could sell online. Players Clubs, “Now, as Aristocrat Interactive™, we are combining all the assets, technology and know-how of NeoGames™ and our games development studio, NeoGames Studio™ with the resources, technological breadth and depth, and product extensions of the broader Aristocrat group—a leading global entertainment and content creation business.” Continued on page 36
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4MTM=