Public Gaming International May/June 2020

27 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MAY/JUNE 2020 Sue van der Merwe, Managing Director – Lotteries & Keno, Tabcorp I think we will be a much more virtually connected world with digital communication channels being even more prevalent than before. At Tabcorp we already supported exible work so we moved quite seamlessly to working from home and many team members are seeing bene ts to their personal lives. However, people are also saying they miss the physical face to face connection so the human element will always be needed. is crisis has accelerated the adoption curve of many things but the challenge will always be achieving the right balance in the future. is poses some interesting questions around what that means for our big cities and supporting infrastructure such as transport and retail precincts. Bricks and mortar retail has stood up particularly well here in Australia throughout this period with the vast majority of lottery retailers being able to continue to trade under the Government’s guidelines. As we start to emerge from the crisis, demands on retail will continue to be around a heightened emphasis on ‘COVID safe’ venues and practices along with solutions like contactless payments to minimise person to person contact. We have gone from being time poor to time rich and values have shifted to be more focused on family, safety and community. I think our products t extremely well with those shifts and in particular products like our Australian Set for Life game with its annuity prize will do very well. For many lottery operators, the goal will be to continue to drive our businesses in the direction we were going. Focussing on what our customers want and delivering the products they enjoy playing. Having product strategies that mirror the variety of player motivations across our portfolio o erings will continue to be important. e Set for Life game was identi ed as an opportunity for us in a post Global-Financial-Crisis (GFC) world and it’s important we stay connected to societal sentiment and ensure our products remain t for purpose as our society works its way through its biggest shock in generations. In Australia, our well-established CRM and customer membership program have enabled us to engage with our players in a more personalised and relevant way. We have seen growth in our active customer numbers and we intend to use our capability in digital marketing, data and customer experience to build on the opportunity to strengthen enduring relationships with our customers. ere is also an opportunity to educate our players about the contribution we make to our community. We are doing this by highlighting how our community partners are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, so customers know our donations and support continue to bene t others. To put this philosophy into action, we donated $1 million to e University of Queensland’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, one of six research facilities worldwide tasked with developing a vaccine against COVID-19 by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. e donation was made from Golden Casket unclaimed prize money. Australia’s lottery market was quite resilient through the GFC but we did not see unemployment of the same severity as was seen in some places around the world and certainly that is being predicted now across many markets. I think lotteries remain resilient to economic downturns but are not immune from severe and sustained unemployment and constrained household disposable income. I think our core o ering gives us real reason to be optimistic. Our products o er hope, fun and entertainment and raise critical funds for good causes in the process. No one else engenders the water cooler conversation quite like our businesses and I’m not sure we need more opportunity other than continue to do what we do well and be true to our purpose. I think with people travelling less, working from home, spending more time with their immediate families and witnessing the hardship throughout the world, has o ered time for re ection. It’s di cult to imagine us rushing back to the old normal but our core lottery proposition has stood the test of time and will continue to do so. I think our experience in Australia in recent weeks has reinforced our belief that our omni-channel focus is as relevant as ever. Despite the challenges of people being restricted in movement and far lower footfall across retail, retail sales have remained strong across the board in Australia in both draw games and instant tickets. I think this is a testament to the strength of the model and proves how important it is to focus on the customer and provide choice and convenience. From an operations viewpoint, I think it’s de ning what the return to the o ce looks like and rede ning how we function as a business internally and with our key partners. In many ways the move to isolation at home was easier. Bringing our teams back whilst maintaining social distancing requirements and keeping our people safe is a lot more complex. Our marketing teams have already quickly adapted to an increasingly changing market, ensuring all promotions and o ers are relevant, engaging and enticing while keeping in line with consumer sentiment and responsible gambling guidelines. Responding quickly to large changes in the retail landscape if and when they occur and the depth of the economic impact and the pace of recovery per the above response could pose further challenges. While other areas of the gambling industry have temporarily closed in Australia, such as casinos, pubs, clubs and other wagering venues, the vast majority of our retailers remain open for business. We have armed them with the tools and resources they need to enforce social distancing and hygiene measures required by our Federal Government to keep them and their customers safe. For those players who are self-isolating or reducing their visits to retail stores, they can play online via our app or website. Participation in Australian lottery games has remained solid. VISION OF THE POST-CORONAVIRUS WORLD Continued on page 30