37 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 application of data-analytics and building out new sets of KPI’s that identify and measure the factors that matter most and which are constantly changing. Our competition is raising the bar on all of these business functions which means we have to be better than them if we want to promote loyalty and retain playership. I was asked about the evidence to substantiate the concern that lottery players are subject to shifting some of their spend over to other game categories. I would respectfully submit that if we wait for the evidence to come in, it will be too late. We are proceeding on the basis that the consumer has more choices now, and we need to continue to earn their playership. Lottery has the most storied history of any game, a resilience and popularity and life-cycle that is unlike any other product. I think it would be short-sighted of the industry to assume that guarantees future success. We are focused on leveraging the things that make lottery unique, an ongoing commitment to healthy play and the great work that is being done to support our beneficiaries. I think we need to prepare for a dynamic market-place with consumers who expect us to continually “up our game”. That’s why we are building a culture of nimbleness that expects consumer behavior and market dynamics to be changing faster than ever. We are embracing the opportunity to set new standards that keep our players engaged, that keep our channel partners committed to lottery, and that keep the good causes – public education in North Carolina – that benefit proud of their association with the N.C. Education Lottery. n Leading in a period of tremendous opportunity and disruption — continued from page 14 aligned with the regionals by supporting and reinforcing the service and value that they bring to the industry. Secondly, it is imperative that we uphold the integrity of the industry by continually evolving our risk management and security as well as our responsible gaming standards and refining our certification processes. Integrity also includes establishing a center of knowledge and information in combatting illegal gaming as well as promoting and raising awareness of sports integrity. Thirdly the WLA will continue to build on its role as an informational hub and resource, and to provide expertise or best practices in special and relevant topics and fourthly evolve Good Corporate Citizenship. Similarly, we will establish a process for identifying the key topics and how to proceed with the development and presentation of business intelligence and industry knowledge. These are all areas where the WLA has a proven track record of success. The WLA vision is to be recognized as the global lottery and betting game authority and to support its members in contributing to society. Therefore, we must set the standards of excellence for the lottery ecosystem, serve our members and help them to succeed and prosper. Is there an example of how the competencies of the WLA complement the regional associations? A. Kötter: The industry is evolving at different stages and in different ways across the globe. For instance, illegal gambling or the business model of resellers has manifested in Europe over the past twenty years in ways that are just beginning to emerge in other regions such as the U.S. The WLA acts as an information resource and can help its members around the world understand, through case studies, how some of these issues have developed elsewhere, how lotteries have responded to threats, which strategies and tactics have worked well, and which have not worked so well. I´ve been impressed by how the Asian region embraced new technology in their lottery work and started to use AI to analyze the illegal market. We have just started a joint initiative with the Regional Associations to research the size of the illegal markets on a global scale. To uphold the core values of integrity and fair play in sport, the WLA, together with EL (European Lotteries), founded ULIS (United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports) as the main global player in the field of state lotteries. The regional associations have a deep understanding of the local markets, gaming cultures, political environments, and the most relevant issues and needs of its members. Joint conferences and educational seminars reflect specific interests of the members and the WLA is happy to collaborate with the regional associations in providing experiences from other parts of the world. These are just a few examples of how the WLA and Regional Associations work together to add more value to lotteries. How might lottery further its competitive advantage? A. Kötter: First of all, we should take a measure of the unique attributes of lotteries that no one else has and how we might leverage those to better effect. Lotteries have been part of the day-to-day culture for decades. We have analyzed the development of lotteries for every crisis after the Second World War. How are lotteries affected by economic crisis? Political crisis? Changes in the competitive landscape? One truism is the amazing resilience of lottery products. Lotteries currently have a retail network that no one else has or even has any hope to replicate. Lotteries have an established, trusted brand and a mission to serve good causes. That makes us strong and unique. Our business is sustainably increasing, and we have the largest customer base in the whole gambling segment. Given the associations there is no other relevant player on a global level than WLA together with the regional associations in our segment. Building on these strengths, we should be able to identify and face the industry challenges if we anticipate new trends and technology, understand the customer, exchange information and innovate, learn from each other and think in cooperations. The WLA, and I´m sure also the Regional Lottery Associations are committed to serving their members and helping them succeed in these exciting times of disruption and opportunity. n Achieving Explosive Growth in the first year of Digital Instants Sales — continued from page 33
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