INNOVATIVE MARKET RESEARCH

In the year following the successful 2018 launch of the MillionDAY base game, the advertising ban that had come into effect in 2019 represented an obstacle to growth, and sales had begun to level-off. A team led by the IGT Italy Market Research & Insights group initiated some specific research to gather player feedback on the game in order to identify the likes and dislikes of the overall gaming experience in a real gaming environment and identify ways to support it.  

The top insights:

Winner Awareness - Although MillionDAY’s original prize structure was focused on the promise of winning €1 million, players perceived the frequency of wins as being low ─ for both the top prize and the lower tiers. This perception was not helped by the national advertising ban on games of chance, which hinders winner awareness.

Playing Habits – The cut-off time for playing MillionDAY for the original 7 p.m. draw time was found to be too early for many players’ habits and routines. About half of players (46%) reported an “out of time” experience, when they missed the window to play at the point of sale.

In 2021, IGT Italy tested the concept of a new optional game for MillionDAY based on its new add-on for 10eLotto, called “EXTRA.” The EXTRA add-on would provide MillionDAY players with a second chance to win a prize, improve the frequency of wins, and partially redistribute the payout toward the lower prize category.

The team then performed market research to determine player interest. Using IGT Italy’s proprietary player community, Lottery Explorer, they conducted interviews via mobile phone with current MillionDAY players as well as players of other draw game who were aware of MillionDAY.

The new proposal was widely accepted by the interviewees, who perceived it as clear, easy to play, able to increase their chance to win an exciting top prize, and offering achievable lower-tier prizes.

Researchers also found high acceptance for a second proposal to change the draw time from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with 96% of players interviewed being positive or neutral about the proposed change.

The new draw time would broaden the opportunity to play MillionDAY to include those whose work requirements or daily habits prevented them from placing a bet before the cut-off time. 

The IGT Italy Product Management team then worked to transfer the “EXTRA” mechanic for 10eLotto to MillionDAY. They chose to adopt similar branding of the EXTRA add-on to create an association between the two EXTRA games, supporting familiarity and understanding.

The new EXTRA option and the later draw time of 8:30 p.m. launched on March 16, 2022, simultaneously on physical and online channels. (See sidebar for “How to Play” details.)

PHYSICAL & DIGITAL PLAYER COMMUNICATIONS

A key issue was how to make players aware that they could now enjoy the EXTRA option on MillionDAY, and that the daily draw time had been extended for greater convenience. It’s an issue that operators around the world commonly face ─ even without the added challenge of a national advertising ban.   

The IGT Italy team drew on its extensive B2C marketing experience to devise specific player communications for physical touchpoints (playslip and point-of-purchase materials) as well as digital touchpoints, including IGT Italy’s “My Lotteries” app, the Lotto Italia website, and monitors running the 10eLotto fast-play game.

They redesigned the main playslip to call players’ attention to the later daily draw time of 8:30 p.m., highlight the new availability of the EXTRA add-on game, and clearly convey the rules and cost (see figure).

A separate “multi-bets” playslip, which allows players to bet more than one combination, conveys the information in a similar fashion, along with the option to add EXTRA for each chance played.

The IGT Italy marketing team also designed and tested special interactive posters for distribution to 4,000 retail locations. The posters feature a series of MillionDAY and EXTRA “Quick Pick” playslips that are perforated, so players can conveniently remove one. A QR code is included for the retailer to scan when a player presents the ticket for purchase. Lotteries that have struggled with awareness may consider adapting any of these interesting ideas.

The IGT Italy team also designed an informational motion-graphic leaflet as well as teaser shows for the point-of-purchase monitors, 10eLotto monitors, the My Lotteries mobile app, and the Lotto Italia website.

Included in the teaser campaign was a countdown banner designed for the mobile app, which highlighted the number of days remaining until the launch of the EXTRA add-on and reminded players that it was coming.

The day of launch featured additional banners on the mobile app and the Lotto Italia website with a dedicated landing page, again reminding players of the new draw time (see figure).

A FOCUSED PLAN TO ENGAGE RETAILERS

Matteo Wingfield, IGT Italy Store Improvement and Communications Specialist, who oversaw the retailer communications plan, notes that the team followed a carefully paced schedule of B2B outreach.

As with the player communications, these materials clearly articulated the benefits of the new add-on game and conveyed the key changes multiple times to support awareness and understanding. The retailer communications plan included:

• Focused emails and digital messages sent through the gaming terminals
• A digital campaign to engage retailers in training courses, highlighting the new aspects of MillionDAY and EXTRA
• Video training on the EXTRA option
• A special preview and reminder communication on the day before launch
• Launch-day communications
• Dedicated web pages with related news, FAQs, and a guide for sellers
• Shipment of more than 38,000 point-of-sale kits in waves to retailers across the sales network, with suggestions on how to display the materials. Top sellers received a special new playslip display, and all retailers received promotional posters, stickers, and newly redesigned playslips   
• An online request form to receive an additional kit with the new point-of-sales materials dedicated to EXTRA MillionDAY

The various communications earned a high open-rate of 83%, five points above the average. Prior to the roll-out, the team also teased the launch of EXTRA with a video celebrating MillionDAY’s 200 previous top-prize wins, urging retailers to “stay tuned for something new.”

Complementing and reinforcing all of the other communications were two full-page print advertisements created for the retailer trade magazine La Voce del Tabaccaio. One focused on the novelty of the EXTRA add-on, and the other on reminding players of the draw-time change. The message on one ad ─ “There’s always a second chance for your clients” ─ further encouraged retailers to let players know about the new EXTRA option and an “EXTRAordinary” new experience.

EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS

The first month in which the EXTRA add-on game was available saw a 23% increase in sales over the pre-launch and play at 97% of the retail locations.

During the same period, the new draw time of 8:30 p.m. also proved highly attractive to players, with the total number of wagers placed being three times higher than the number that were placed in the pre-launch week, when the draw time was still 7:00 p.m.

The changes are off to a good start, and the IGT Italy team believes there is further room to grow. It was a challenging time to launch the latest EXTRA add-on game in Italy – not only with an advertising ban but also pandemic-related restrictions that prevented people from lingering as they otherwise might at the point of sale. Yet EXTRA demonstrates the possibilities for delivering impressive performance with the right game, research, thoughtful player marketing, and a thorough retailer communications plan. For detailed information about the EXTRA add-on game, please contact IGT Italy Senior Director Lotto Product Management and Development, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..