Public Gaming International Gaming July/August 2021

48 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JULY/AUGUST 2021 game every other week; on the traditional side we launch four to six new scratch-off games every month. Our online players like the new games and they expect more games more frequently. The industry has established that bi-weekly is the minimum for iLottery. Our data is showing that we might be able to launch weekly or even more games bi-weekly, which we plan to test. I compare traditional lottery to a cruise ship which travels at slower and more methodi- cal speed, whereas iLottery is a speedboat. Different speeds for different players.” Richard said that at JUMBO interactive, they look at the frequency question through different prisms. First is content. “You’ve got to offer content that is relevant, and that might depend on the calendar. We know what types of content will work well at the holidays. But we spend a lot of resources on data to get a better view of the player – what content are they responding to, how often are they interacting with the program, where do they fit with their cohorts? Then we can start personalizing like Amazon does. The second part is offering the right types of games to players. You have players who want the chance to dream and gravitate towards Powerball and Mega Million. Others want the quick gratification that goes along scratch offs. The data you’ve collected helps to inform this process, including how often to offer games. You have a much more focused view and we’re not just providing new games for the sake of it, we’re providing new games that are relevant to the player.” Staying on the topic of data, Derek said that the proliferation of data has made decision-making a lot more informed. “I’m really thankful I didn’t have this job five years ago without all the data I’m provided now because it would have been a lot more difficult,” he said. “But we have data down to levels that allow us to understand which demographics are playing what types of games, what games are resonating with certain groups, etc. And it all helps us build portfolios and roadmaps. As important as the games we are launching is also the timing of those games. Ensuring that our roadmap is diverse but also well-timed so that we’re making sure we address all the different player segments within a two- or three-month period. Because we’re launching so often, we have the opportunity to be innovative so that sales and player retention/ acquisition are of the highest priority.” Also important is the user experience and all iLottery programs and their vendors spend much time and resources on this component. The key, according to Kevin, is “to create a customer experience that is as frictionless as possible.” Picking up on that, J.B. said that years of online activity with other businesses has created expecta- tions amongst lottery players of similar experiences. “With world class sites like Facebook, Amazon and Google leading the way, players expect the same quality from lotteries and their vendor partners. There are many non-lottery options for gaming and entertainment dollars, so it is imperative that the products and experiences we offer are relevant, fun and engaging.” Taking the user experience one step further, the Pennsylvania Lottery has adopted an omnichannel strategy whenever possible. Stephanie said it was a promise they made to retailers when they launched their program, that they would utilize strategies to drive new online players to retail. “We are launching the same themes across multiple product lines, called cross-product- line launches,” she said. “Through this, we drive online players to the retailer, and retail players to online through common themes, brands and promotions. We started this with seasonal games, tying St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween games back and forth through bonus codes and coupons. Then we moved to licensed properties, like Grumpy Cat, Wizard of Oz, James Bond, Monopoly, and our NFL games (Eagles and Steelers). We think omnichannel is very important to acquiring players, retaining them, expanding the base, and getting players to sample different products.” Derek said that IGT will be dipping into the product move from digital to retail later this summer in Rhode Island. “Many of the games we’ve had success with on the digital channel have been derived from either themes or mechanics that resonate in the traditional market,” he said. “So Rhode Island will begin offering omnichannel games and we will closely monitor the results. Instant wins take a bit longer to get to market than traditional scratch tickets so we’ll start by printing one of our digital games and then launch both in August. My hope is that sales of both are strong and that we give players a choice between digital and retail. We’ll soon find out.” Richard added that U.S. lotteries could look to follow some of their European counterparts in promoting multi-channel play – citing that multi-channel players are more valuable to lotteries than players who play only at retail or only online. He went on to say that in establishing a multi-channel “eco-system” it is important that lotteries retain control of their players and in particular their accounts – as the ability to market to their own players whether that be through direct marketing or cross promotion is a critical foundation to multi-channel success. Richard pointed out that it may be expedient to allow third party couriers to “harvest” existing lottery players and then mediate the interactive relationship between lotteries and players. But giving up control of the online interactive relationship with the consumers is not the best long-term strategy. Preserving the direct online con- nection to its players should be elevated to a mission-critical priority for all lotteries. Kevin closed out the conversation with observations from Virginia. “Every day, we work hard to strengthen that bridge between the digital and traditional sides of our business,” he said. “Every state has to operate within certain guardrails, legislatively, politically, and culturally, and all of us have a responsibility to offer our products in a responsible way. My hope is that we take what we’re learning from the digital side to strengthen and support the traditional player and traditional retailer base, too. That will help make our entire industry stronger.” n “ You don’t have a limit on the number of games you can sell online like you do at retail. You can test and learn in real time in the online environment. Portfolio Management continued from page 23