51 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 Digital Games The digital delivery of engaging, colorful instant games can open a new revenue stream. Managed like paper instant tickets, digital tickets are developed using game play parameters and prize structures to guarantee the appropriate levels of prizes for consumers, retail commission and profit for the lottery. A digital pick slip is generated using the mobile app where a single barcode is generated and scanned by the retail clerk. Once the transaction has been completed by the clerk through the POS, the digital games are downloaded to the player’s mobile device. Ticket Validations A natural progression is enabling both instant and draw game validation by scanning the winning ticket through the retailer POS. Grocery stores now have the capability of scanning winning tickets in-lane without requiring consumers to stand in line at customer service or taking their winning tickets to another retailer. In addition to creating sales churn, retailers will benefit from the increased revenue generated for grocery purchases. Managing a complex environment Data collection for both lotteries and retailers has been difficult to capture. Abacus Management Portal (AMP) is a value-added data portal that provides lotteries and retailers real time sales data by store, by lane, by date and time. With the support of the Lottery’s gaming system provider, Abacus can provide both lotteries and retailers sales, inventory and transaction detail that includes sales through ITVM’s, lottery terminal and in-lane. Data file can be provided to retailers in the format required such as store ID, lane, date, and other variables requested by the retailer and consistently formatted regardless of the state they do business in. Expanding the sales channel Abacus deliver all these services through multiple sales channels within the retailer ecosystem. The staple offering is through a staffed lane, however, with grocery retailers increasing the number of self-checkout lanes, Abacus has worked with POS providers to add lottery to self-service. Once the transaction is complete, the lottery draw game ticket is printed on register receipt paper. This technology can also be used in convenience stores who are also moving to self-checkout solutions. Abacus offers a fully functional lottery mobile solution that can be incorporated into the existing lottery and/or retailer app. The Abacus mobile platform allows players to select their own numbers on any draw game. Once in the store, the consumer simply selects the ‘check out’ function on their mobile device and a single barcode is generated, containing all lottery draw games selected. The clerk scans the barcode through the POS enabling the ticket purchase. Once the transaction is complete, tickets can be printed on register receipt paper or can be delivered digitally to the player’s mobile device. App integration can also be developed to support retail clerk less checkout technologies so retailers can capture otherwise lost sales. Taking the first steps Taking those first steps to adopt innovative new solutions is always difficult. Will it work? How much will it cost? How long will it take? What is the return on my investment? These are all valid questions and can restrict expansion of the opportunity. Abacus is pleased to be working with the Iowa lottery to implement its in-lane solution across a number of major state retailers. The ‘3-legged stool’ partnership with the Iowa Lottery Research indicates that only 5% of grocery customers visit the customer service centers or vending machines, leaving 95% of consumers that do not purchase lottery products while visiting grocery stores. Abacus’ distribution model is designed to benefit the three legs of the stool. 1. Consumers - benefit by simplifying the lottery transaction by mirroring the lottery purchase to all other grocery products in their basket. 2. Retailers - Print-On-Receipt provides a new revenue stream and makes the lottery transaction intuitive and does not slow down the queue. 3. Lottery - benefits from capturing new sales and increasing the player base by making lottery products available where consumers shop. In partnership with the Iowa Lottery, Abacus anticipates introducing its first US Print on Receipt solution this year. The solution is designed to provide in-lane lottery sales to all registers in over 200 grocery locations. The Iowa Lottery is developing a marketing program to support the initial launch and ongoing support with a focus on point-ofpurchase materials and Jackpot awareness. Through its management portal, Abacus will provide the Iowa Lottery with real-time sales and transactions data, by product, by day, by store, and by lane. This is a level of transactional detail and nimbleness that is largely lacking in traditional lottery product distribution channels. This powerful granular data will allow the Iowa Lottery and its retail partners the ability to analyze performance with real-time control and monitoring capabilities. “We are thrilled with our partnership with the Iowa Lottery”, said Simon Butler, Abacus CEO. We believe the Abacus gateway will provide on-going opportunities for the Iowa Lottery to increase sales, increase their player base and ultimately to increase the profits they return to the State of Iowa. Our partnership with the Iowa Lottery will benefit the lottery industry by opening a whole new distribution platform”, added Butler. “The Iowa Lottery is excited to partner with Abacus and the promise of a lottery sales solution that increases in-store lottery visibility, improves path-to-purchase convenience for players, and drives incremental revenue growth for our retail partners. A true win-win for not only those who sell lottery products but also those worthwhile state causes that benefit from lottery proceeds”, said Jonathan Roth, Chief Revenue Officer, Iowa Lottery. “As we continue to prepare for market launch of Print on Receipt Powerball and Mega Millions tickets in Iowa, we are also mindful of the future opportunities presented by expanding the range of lottery product offerings that may be sold in-lane through Abacus-integrated POS platforms. That is when we can drive significant revenue growth across multiple portfolio categories”, added Roth. Solving the puzzle Putting the pieces of the Rubik’s cube together can be challenging and does not happen overnight. Abacus can take the complexity out of providing a very robust product delivery. Abacus’ experts work directly with the lottery, gaming system providers, retailers, and POS providers, to assemble the pieces of the puzzle. n
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