24 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2022 P A N E L D I S C U S S I O N With so much attention paid to the current and future growth of iLottery among U.S. lotteries, an outside observer might surmise that online sales of lottery products has swept the country. The truth is that the majority of lotteries are not selling via digital avenues. How all jurisdictions, including non-iLottery states, can optimize their online presence was the topic of a panel at the PGRI conference in Nashville in late 2021: The Cutting Edge Initiatives and Strategies Driving the Breakneck Growth of Digital Lottery Even in Non-iLottery States. Iowa Lottery Chief Executive Officer Matt Strawn tackled this timely topic, joined by a panel of industry experts: Shannon DeHaven, Vice President, Digital Engagement, Pollard Banknote Lynne Roiter, former President and chief Executive Officer of Lottery Quebec, and current Secretary General of the World Lottery Association Darrell Smith, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Smartplay Rebecca Swindle, Vice President of Strategic Development, Intralot Matt began the session by pointing out that Iowa is one of the jurisdictions that is limited by law in providing online offerings. So this topic hits close to home for him. “To me, the answer to the question ‘what does online lottery encompass’ is that it encompasses a universe far beyond merely selling products online,” he said. “I’m one of those states that doesn’t have an iLottery portfolio – not traditional instants that have moved online, not mobile draw. And this is not something our policymakers seem interested in addressing in the immediate future. But that hasn’t prevented us from taking an aggressive approach in the digital space in nearly every aspect of our operations. We are building for a day that perhaps policymakers will want to give the Iowa Lottery an online portfolio of products to sell.” The lottery at which Lynne Roiter worked for more than 35 years is the polar opposite of Iowa. “Our vision of the digital world is that as it exists and used by consumers for wide range of activities the lottery should be a part of that,” she said. “Our players and potential players should be able to access to our games on line in a safe legal environment. The lottery should be an integral part of our customers’ online lives. We should allow players to transfer what they are doing at retail to online, make lottery available at times when retail is not available. Basically, this is a mirror of the banking industry , every jurisdiction has online banking allowing its customers access to their funds and information at any time and any place. Lottery should be provided the same access providing responsible gaming controls.” Picking up on Lynne’s point about customer access, Darrell Smith said that the move to online is all about ease of use for customers. Smartplay develops, produces and operates drawing machines and other winning number solutions for lotteries, and has been deeply involved with online solutions for its customers. “A term used frequently in digital marketing and sales is ‘frictionless experience’ and that is what is needed for lotteries,” he said. “When you reduce the friction for customers, you make everything faster, not just sales but also the conversion to online. It’s only natural that adding a robust digital experience will increase the customer base and, in the end, improve the bottom line. For lotteries that can’t sell online, an engaging digital world only enhances what they are doing at retail.” For Rebecca Swindle, the information that is curated from offering a digital player experience is invaluable. “Raw player data alone is critical. However, we’ve got to look beyond just the stats and begin to understand the context - the decisions and behaviors of our players and the context in which their choices are made. We can think beyond just acquisition, just transaction and focus on the entire player journey with lottery brands and products.” Shannon DeHaven has been involved with digital lotteries for more than 10 years, first with the Michigan Lottery’s iLottery program and now with Pollard Banknote. She said that while the Holy Grail is offering online sales, creating a digital ecosystem for any online scenario is critical. “The biggest piece of defining a digital lottery is to have an overall digital mindset and focus on the technology you can provide to players,” she said. “Are you using technology that allows future growth, whether that is online sales or EXECUT I VE SUMMARY OF ROUNDTABLE DI SCUSS ION AT PGRI LOTTERY EXPO NASHV I LLE DIGITAL LOTTERY GROWTH IS SKYROCKETING – EVEN IN NON-iLOTTERY STATES INDUSTRY EXPERTS TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IS FUELING THE SURGE
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