Sales of IGT’s Cash Pop™ draw game continue to grow organically as players across the U.S. discover the game and keep playing. Several lotteries have also launched creative promotions to amplify awareness and showcase new ways to play. Here are a few standout Cash Pop promotions that might inspire others:
New Jersey
The New Jersey Lottery was first to market with Cash Pop in 2019, and offered, early on, a Bonus Hours promotion giving players the chance to win 50% increased prizes for play during a specified time frame. With eligibility set at a minimum of five numbers played, this promotion invited new and previous players to experience more of Cash Pop’s fun and flexibility—and playing five numbers (versus one) increased the odds of a winning experience to one-in-three.
Following its success, New Jersey evolved the concept into Doubler Days, an nth-basis promotion that ran on certain days of the week and doubled the prize if a player’s winning number was selected. “These promotions led to a lot of trial play and introduced players to fresh experiences with Cash Pop, which people really enjoyed,” says Sam Fromkin, Deputy General Manager at lottery operator Northstar New Jersey. “We began to see increased play on other days of the week as well.” New Jersey became the first state to launch the game’s $20 price point in November 2024.
South Carolina
The South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL), which offers two daily draws of Cash Pop, recently concluded a successful three-month Doubler promotion, achieving an impressive weekly per capita sales increase of 29.3%. Like the New Jersey model, SCEL’s promotion was simple and engaging, offering players a chance to double their prize if their chosen number was drawn. A ticket printed with a 2X indicator signaled the prize would be doubled if won, boosting anticipation for the draw and participation among players. Rather than offer the Doubler promotion only on certain days of the week, SCEL offered it throughout the three-month period.
The promotion was developed in partnership with IGT, which created a custom Promo Costing Tool to streamline planning. This tool allowed the Lottery to project sales and additional expenses and simulate various scenarios relative to frequency of play or price-point qualifiers. The IGT team can also adapt this planning tool for use by other Cash Pop lotteries.
SCEL employed a well-rounded marketing campaign to promote the Doubler. Advertisements were strategically placed in high-visibility locations at retail outlets, including PlayStation screens, above scratch-ticket displays, and on cooler clings. Additionally, SCEL incorporated the campaign into its digital outdoor rotation and leveraged its Players’ Club CRM system to engage customers via email. Social media promotion and an internal sales competition by region further supported the campaign’s reach.
“This was a highly effective promotion. It got our players excited and engaged,” reports Scott Warner, SCEL Product Specialist.
North Carolina
In November 2024, Cash Pop launched in North Carolina, where players can “pop” into a store that sells lottery games to win up to $2,500, five times per day. The North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) is promoting Cash Pop via an innovative marketing program that NCEL developed in partnership with six professional sports teams across the state. This unique Cash Pop campaign encompasses a variety of highly interactive, in-arena promotions tailored to each venue and sport, as well as a new, effective couponing system.
By combining the thrill of sports arenas and live audience participation, the promotion educates potential players about the features of Cash Pop while making the whole experience entertaining and memorable. With tens of thousands of fans and followers, sport franchises such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Charlotte Hornets essentially operate as their own media channels. The campaign leverages those channels to reach huge fan bases. “Cash Pop is a great game, and we’ve had stellar results,” says Terri Rose, NCEL’s Chief Brand Officer. “The game and our promotion are performing beyond expectations.” Look out for much more about NCEL’s unique Cash Pop sports promotion in a forthcoming issue.
To add some Pop to your portfolio, contact your IGT account representative.
