Licensed games with broad appeal, strong brand recognition, and diverse prizing and promotional opportunities are a proven strategy for acquiring new lottery players and engaging existing ones. Entertainment brands continue to be leaders in brand licensing, with built-in equity that makes them ideally suited for the lottery industry. Amongst Pollard Banknote’s diverse portfolio of licensed properties are several iconic entertainment brands. With loyal fans and nostalgic appeal that has the power to connect generations, multiple North American lotteries have successfully leveraged these brands to launch games that have captivated players and driven sales.
Key Sales Drivers for Lotteries
Pollard Banknote’s entertainment brands such as JAWS, Universal Monsters, and the latest addition, Back to the Future, offer instantly recognizable images and sounds that attract attention from lottery players and movie fans alike. The beloved characters and familiar imagery allow lotteries to create unique and visually stunning instant tickets that cut through retail clutter. Tickets can be further enhanced with the use of dynamic print innovations like Scratch FX® and Pop-Up Scratch-Off™ or by leveraging Pollard Banknote’s digital press capabilities to take full advantage of the variety of visuals available from each brand.
With valuable opportunities to offer unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiential prizing that lends itself to rich social media campaigns and other marketing promotions, these games have undeniable appeal to players across all categories. Omnichannel programs that span both printed tickets and eInstants maximize the reach by allowing players to play where and how they want.
Massachusetts State Lottery’s JAWS Ticket: The Massachusetts State Lottery’s successful launch of the first JAWS instant ticket in the U.S. is a great example of the outstanding value entertainment brands can provide. The Lottery leveraged the unforgettable JAWS poster art to create an attention-grabbing ticket that stands out at retail and embellished the ticket with Spectrum Scratch FX® to create the shimmer of rippling ocean waters. Making the most of Massachusetts’ connection to the summer blockbuster, a second-chance promotion offers thirty lucky winners a three-night stay in Martha’s Vineyard, where JAWS was filmed—and one will swim away with a $1,000,000 prize! Since its launch, JAWS has become the Massachusetts State Lottery’s third-highest-selling $10 non-crossword game launched in the last two fiscal years. More JAWS games with exciting promotional programs are already planned by lotteries across North America to coincide with the celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary in 2025, including an immersive fan experience that will have players watching JAWS out on the water—if they dare!
Arizona Lottery’s Universal Monsters Game: The Arizona Lottery made the most of Pollard Banknote’s high-definition Universal Monsters assets by launching a six-scene game printed on the digital press. The Lottery used an experiential prize opportunity to entice players and generate excitement around the launch, integrating the Universal Monsters game with a “mystery trip” promotion through the Players Club loyalty program, culminating in three winners meeting the monsters during an all-expenses-paid trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. This promotion succeeded in boosting player engagement: the Universal Monsters game had the highest number of unique players scanning tickets out of all the Arizona Lottery’s games, and while the promotion ran, it attracted more new and lapsed players to scan tickets than any other $5 game.
Back to the Future Offers Exciting Potential: Back to the Future, the newest addition to Pollard Banknote’s licensed games portfolio, offers even more electrifying possibilities for lotteries. Iconic assets from the trilogy of movies—including the famous time-traveling car and clock tower—have been turned into riveting game art by our in-house creative team and are poised for use in video and print campaigns that evoke the visuals, sound, and memorable music of the films. Creative lotteries can capitalize on many exciting marketing options connected with the series, such as replicas of the time machine and life-size standees for photo opportunities, private red-carpet movie screenings, custom co-branded merchandise, and customizable video content. This legendary entertainment brand, celebrating its 40th anniversary next year, offers numerous ways for lotteries to engage players.
Dynamic Opportunities, Unlimited Potential
The entertainment brands within Pollard Banknote’s licensed games portfolio offer lotteries unlimited possibilities for player engagement, spanning games, prizes, and promotions. By tapping into shared memories and creating strong emotional connections, licensed games provide fun and positive ways to draw in players and give them a lottery experience that makes them want to come back for more. With the ability to create omnichannel opportunities and customize all aspects of the accompanying program, lotteries can capture—and capitalize on—the magic of movies to maximize proceeds for the worthy causes they support.