Public Gaming Magazine Sept/Oct 2021

20 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 “Our goal is to make these live events feel like a true experience,” said Shyla Howell, Digital Marketing Manager at the Min- nesota Lottery. “We try to make them as interactive as possible by engaging with all the viewers who are along for the ride. A key is to offer fresh and unique content. And we see the results of our efforts, as the engagement and viewership for our live events has continued to grow.” While many lotteries have offered Facebook pages and other social media sites for well more than 10 years, the use of social media to hold live events is a more recent phenomenon. With more than 220 million users and an easy-to-use live interface, Facebook is the preferred avenue for lotteries to hold live events. In fact, Facebook has proactively widened its interaction with different industries and community groups to help them reach customers, members and interested parties. Earlier this summer, the company participated in a forum among faith leaders on how they can use Facebook to reach their followers and expand their community. In a recent New York Times article about this collaboration, Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor at Life Church in Oklahoma said, “From our vantage point, Facebook is a platform that allows us to build community and connect with our community and accomplish our mission. So I think it serves everybody well.” That is a thought echoed by many lotteries. PROMOTING PRODUCTS & PUPPIES At the Arizona Lottery, social media livestreams have been used to promote everything from beneficiaries to giveaways. The lottery’s first Facebook livestream was in 2017 – Puppy Pick. Teaming with the Arizona Humane Society to help raise awareness for adoptions, the lottery had puppies pick draw numbers live on Facebook. Viewers could guess which numbers the puppies would pick, and the best part? All the puppies were adoptable. In 2018, the Arizona Lottery featured its largest livestream event – “Windfall Willie’s Virtual Holiday Party Livestream Giveaway.” This was a talk-show style event with the lottery’s two brand mascots, Windfall Willie and his sidekick Derek, and dozens of prizes were awarded. Then, in March 2020 with the pandemic ramping up, the lottery hosted cash giveaways for frontline employees impacted hardest by COVID-19, including healthcare workers, grocery store employees, teachers and others. “It was beyond rewarding to know how much our Community Giveaways ben- efited those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Allyson Saltford, Market- ing and Social Media Coordinator. “We received so many ‘thank you’ comments from people who couldn’t believe they’d won and heard moving stories about how much the money helped our recipients. That included a server who used her prize to pay for sommelier classes and was then able to get a more stable, higher paying job. Social media is an incredible tool for brands but it’s an even more powerful tool for coming together as a community in times of crisis.” Another early adopter of using social media to reach players is the Colorado Lottery. When the lottery first began reaching out to players using social media, it was primarily product-focused information about new scratch tickets and players were redirected to the lottery’s website to win prizes. In 2019, Colorado partnered with the Rockies for a season-long Twitter campaign which allowed participants to win seat upgrades. But the lottery has really ratcheted up its social media game in 2021. They launched their first Instagram influencer campaign in July, partnering with outdoor influencers to promote the Lottery’s diverse proceeds projects across the state. To drive home that lottery proceeds fund parks, trails, open spaces and recreation projects across the state, the Lottery also partnered with a new TV show host, Kathie J., a popular long-time entertainment personality in Denver. The communications team in Colorado launched bi-monthly Facebook Live events with Kathie J. The Facebook Live events cover news that ranges from proceeds to product news and responsible gaming. (Left to right): Deirdre Calcoate, Program Manager of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Arizona Lottery Executive Director Gregg Edgar are hosted by Arizona Lottery mascot Windfall Willie during the inaugural “Windfall Willie’s Virtual Holiday Party Livestream Giveaway.” Enter social media, with a strong emphasis on Facebook and its Facebook Live functionality through which a livestream can bring the lottery community together virtually.