Lotto Game Sales Increase 52% with Instant Win Add
For Leslie Badger, putting a new twist on traditional lottery products is nothing new. She’s worked on just about every kind of draw game imaginable for the past 20 years, including the Multi-State Lottery Association’s game development. She’s seen some good—and yes, a few not so good—game concepts. A concept that increases sales 52% is very good.
When the Pennsylvania Lottery began plans to add an instant win experience to its daily Cash 5 game, Badger, VP Lottery Content for Scientific Games, went to work to help the Lottery’s product team develop a new concept.
“Cash 5 has been around since 1992 in Pennsylvania. It’s an important staple in most lotteries’ draw game portfolios, and there have been tweaks and matrix changes to invigorate the product over the years,” says Badger, “One thing we know for sure is that whether players enjoy draw games, Fast Play games or instant games, they all value the instant win experience.”
Based on analytics for instant win terminal-generated game models Scientific Games had developed for other markets, the team knew that terminal-generated games with instant win opportunities were quickly growing in popularity, while sales for many traditional Cash 5 games were declining.
“Some lotteries chose to make the instant win opportunity an ‘add-on’. As example, a $1 base game with an optional $1 instant win add-on,” explains Badger. “The Pennsylvania Lottery opted to offer a $2 game, with the instant win component embedded in the game—giving all players the opportunity to win instantly, no add-on necessary.”
In 2021, the Pennsylvania Lottery launched Cash 5 with Quick Cash, strategically at the $2 price point. At the same time, the Lottery also increased the starting jackpot from $125,000 to $150,000 so players are definitely getting value for the extra spend.
“We did quite a bit of modeling with our mathematicians on prize structure, as well as with our game content and product development teams, to make sure the instant win experience was fair even if a player bought multiple tickets,” she says.
When Cash 5 with Quick Cash launched, the Pennsylvania Lottery featured a three-month point-of-sale promotion offering players a free Match 6 Lotto ticket with the purchase of seven Cash 5 with Quick Cash tickets.
“We listened to our players and we heard what they wanted: more chances to win and higher jackpots,” shares Kara Sparks, Director of Product Development, Pennsylvania Lottery. “We anticipated a 20% increase in sales. Cash 5 with Quick Cash exceeded our expectations.”
Cash 5 with Quick Cash is a great example of how a long-standing product in a lottery’s portfolio can still be improved.
“Keeping core players entertained is just as important as bringing new players to the games. The Pennsylvania Lottery struck the perfect balance with Cash 5 with Quick Cash to make sure their portfolio was exciting and healthy,” Badger says.
Her philosophy is that sometimes changes don’t have to be dramatic or involve clever names, particularly if it’s an established game that players like. It’s all about giving them that extra win experience with a popular product.
Sales increase based on comparing 50 weeks before and after launch (as of March 14, 2022).