Over the past decade, Pollard Banknote has not merely been investing in digital lottery; they’ve been shaping its future. This journey began in 2009 with the debut of their first digital game and reached a notable milestone in 2013 with the launch of the industry’s first standalone CashWord App followed by introducing the industry leading, iLottery solution through their joint venture, to start the Michigan Lottery’s iLottery program. Along this path of relentless innovation, they’ve assembled a team of experts through calculated hires, efficient utilization of internal resources, and insightful acquisitions. Their story embodies how purposeful investment and collaboration can forge a trailblazing path for the future of digital lottery.
The Pollard digital team has strategically grown to 625 people, including developers, designers, and other experts from the U.S., Canada, and Europe. This significant investment in technology and human capital has one focus: to lead the charge of modernizing lottery across the range of needed products and services. It includes apps, websites, loyalty programs, back-office tools for operational efficiency, and an iLottery platform.
“We must develop approaches and technology to help our lottery clients five or ten years down the road,” Shannon DeHaven, Vice President, Digital Engagement said.
It was a necessary investment to protect the industry’s future, which faces increased competition. Lotteries are competing against other forms of gaming, as well as other consumer brands, that are setting the paradigm for how people interact with brands. Players expect the same engaging, user friendly, frictionless experiences from lotteries.
“Pollard Banknote is stepping up and saying we can make this better for our customers; we can make the experiences better,” DeHaven said. “Whether starting with a second chance or transitioning to iLottery, we need to drive players from online back to retail and vice versa. And how you do that matters.”
A seamless player journey would enhance satisfaction, encourage repeated engagement, and foster loyalty. But building one necessitates adopting modern technology, which is why Pollard has invested so much into this team.
“Technology is an enabler. Modern technology, like cloud-native solutions and microservices architecture, allows us to build great experiences and journeys, add new features across channels, and have the agility to meet player demands,” Lianne Paturel, VP, Digital Sales & Business Development, said.
“It doesn’t just take technology,” DeHaven added. “But also experience, expertise, and knowledge on how to do it.”
One area the team emphasized was that a modern lottery platform should enable real-time analytics. The Pollard team can shape user experiences and continually improve the player journey by utilizing up-to-the-minute data. It allows for workflows that proactively resolve issues for players and lotteries. These back-office triggers make it easier for everyone involved. For instance, if a player goes through a hiccup or things don’t quite go as expected in their user journey, a correctly designed platform can fix the problem immediately.
“That makes it much more efficient for the lottery, but it also makes for a better user experience for the player,” DeHaven said. “And that’s something we always remind ourselves of; we have two sets of customers: the players and, most importantly, the lotteries. Our solutions need to consider them both.”
The team wants to improve both parties’ experience by identifying their pain points and finding ways to address them. However, they readily attest that the best solutions require true collaboration between lotteries and their partners. Empathy is vital in this process, allowing vendors to put themselves in the customers’ shoes and understand their challenges to develop tailored solutions.
True collaboration is a core part of what the team refers to as the “Pollard way,” which also encompasses a culture of partnership, transparency, and customer-centricity. The emphasis lies in building strong customer relationships, engaging in open dialogues, and actively listening to their needs. These core tenets help build a culture necessary to be at the forefront of innovation in the digital space.
“Our innovative/entrepreneurial spirit is what built the company to begin with,” Paturel said. “This legacy of deeper digital engagement – all the way through to iLottery – that we’re all helping Pollard build in the digital space is critical. It sort of breathes through all of us and our approach to building digital journeys with our customers.”