Public Gaming International Gaming July/August 2021

30 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JULY/AUGUST 2021 What do disposable gloves and bread machines have in common? Almost nothing— except that in the most unusual COVID-19 economy, both items topped the list of fastest-growing e-commerce products in Europe and the U.S. In a year of never-heard-before statistics, it’s just another one for the “Only in 2020” list. As the world emerges slowly from its COVID haze, daily think pieces analyze consumers’ pandemic purchasing patterns. The data show that despite varying approaches to national management of the crisis, trends in consumer purchases for many types of products were similar across the world. Despite the similarities in overall consumer behavior, lotteries in Europe and the U.S. saw very di…erent results in instant game sales. Some U.S. lotteries had their best year ever in terms of sales, and some European lotteries had their worst year. With global consumer trends so similar, why did lottery performance across the world di…er so greatly? This question was the impetus behind two online surveys conducted by Scientific Games in April 2021. With representative samples of just over 1,000 consumers in both Italy and the U.S., the company’s analytics and insights experts took a close look at changes in player behavior. Scientific Games’ Liga Magdalenoka-Keen, Director of Insights (International), and Tim Menzia, Director of Market Research (U.S.), condensed the survey results into three main lessons for lotteries: The importance of being… With more than 55 years of experience in research and analytics between them, they assert that infusing these three attributes into a lottery's strategy will continue to motivate players and drive responsible growth even after the world recovers from the pandemic. The Importance of Being Accessible Survey respondents overwhelmingly said that their routines and habits changed greatly during the pandemic. This was especially true in Italy, where 58% said they significantly changed their habits of socializing with others and 41% said their daily routines changed. To the question “What has changed specifically?,” the answers from Italy and the U.S. were nearly the same. A third of responders in Italy said their commute has changed significantly, compared to 25% of U.S. respondents. About 30% in both Italy and the U.S. said their shopping habits have greatly changed, and almost a quarter said their household disposable income has changed. What does this mean for lottery? It means that players’ relationships with lottery games are changing, Magdalenoka-Keen reported. They are establishing new routines, shopping in new shops, and spending more time online to shop and for entertainment in general. Lessons from the Year that Changed the World What trends are here to stay, and how can lotteries apply lessons learned? Liga Magdalenoka-Keen Tim Menzia