10 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2022 PGRI Introduction: Romana Dernovšek, President & CEO of the Slovenian National Lottery, has more than twenty years of experience in business leadership positions, designing strategies and organizational cultures, developing people and new businesses. She has been trained in Business & Marketing at the Management Centre Europe in Brussels, holds a degree in Organizational Sciences/Human Resources from the University of Maribor, and is a certified Supervisory Board Member of the Slovenian Directors’ Association. More recently, she upgraded her executive education with a certificate in Circular Economy and Sustainability from the University of Cambridge. She is the Director of the Association of Lotteries active in territories of former Yugoslavia. She was awarded by the Manager’s Association of Slovenia for her contribution to the development of female management and diversity at leadership positions. She volunteers as a guide of a rescue dog and is a licensed missing person rescuer. Romana advocates progress, cooperation, sustainability, integrity and bettering the lives of everyone connected to the lottery business. PGRI INTERVIEWS Paul Jason: Susan and I were so looking forward to meeting you at the celebration of the 580th anniversary of the first lottery in Bruges. R. Dernovšek: There were some cancellations like yours, but it was still a wonderful event. Three days of activities to commemorate the invention of lottery in Bruges almost 600 years ago. There are records which report in detail the circumstances which inspired the idea to hold a raffle to raise funds to support a goal shared by everyone, a lottery to support the common interest of society. The exhibition was fabulous, the festivities enjoyed by hundreds of locals as well as those of us who work directly in service to the lottery and government. We are all very grateful to Jannie Haek (CEO of Belgium Lottery) and his team for his vision to revive and promote the history and the essence of the lotteries. The human quest for meaning is frontand-center now. The history of lottery in Europe is so storied, and it’s great that the Bruges celebration made it come alive for us like this. R. Dernovšek: The most valuable companies in the world all have a compelling story to turn their customers into fan-clubs. To me, the mission of Lottery is a better story than any of them because ours is not just a story. Our mission to serve society, to lead in RG (Responsible Gaming) as well as Sustainability and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), to affiliate with the broadest range of stakeholders imaginable – which is everyone, not just shareholders – is who we really are. Many companies have great products, but their brand is embellished with a great story that does not necessarily have much to do with the products themselves. Lottery exists for the purpose of serving society. We are truly one with our story. That is what was so thrilling about the celebration in Bruges. The essence of Lottery has not changed in 600 years. People were and still are collecting funds for a common goal and at the same time change someone’s life on the basis of pure chance. That timeless, steadfast presence is a testament to the authenticity of our mission. Our story resonates with society because it is genuine. Our product and mission are truly one with our corporate “story”. The celebration of the 580th anniversary in Bruges celebrated a game that people love to play – can you think of WHAT’S YOUR STORY?? Romana Dernovšek, President and CEO of Loterija Slovenije d.d. The European Lotteries 2nd Vice President and Supervisory Chair of the Responsible Gaming and CSR Working
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