Within the lottery industry, sales from Extended Play tickets remains one of the instant game category’s most important growth centers. Word-based formats in particular have delivered sustained sales, price point expansion, and dependable engagement among high-frequency, high value players. Crossword-style games now anchor many scratch portfolios, often ranking among top sellers at $5 and $10 price points.
But as Crossword products mature and price ladders extend, lotteries face a critical portfolio question: how do you deliver new and engaging content and grow Extended Play game sales without simply redistributing spend among existing players?
Alchemy3 believes the answer lies in leveraging behaviors that millions of consumers are already demonstrating in the digital space. Their new word-based extended play concept, Connect Fourtune, is designed to do exactly that.
EXTENDED
PROLONGED, PROTRACTED, LENGTHY, DRAWN-OUT
Translating Digital Puzzle Play into Scratch
Digital word puzzles have become daily rituals for millions of Americans, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z audiences. Importantly, research conducted by Alchemy3 shows significant cross-play potential between online word game participants and lottery players.
Connect Fourtune, an adaptation of the wildly popular New York Times “Connections” game, elegantly pairs the familiar word grouping mechanic with a simple, easy to understand Extended Play scratch format. Players review 16 words and try to identify each of the four color-coded theme categories. As they scratch to reveal prize amounts tied to each word, a win occurs when all four words in a category display matching prize amounts, so determining if a ticket is a winner is fast and intuitive. This combination of challenging wordplay and easy to understand game mechanics makes Connect Fourtune a perfect way to augment extended play game portfolios.
Alchemy3’s hypothesis: if consumers are already engaging with word-association puzzles every day online, there is an outstanding opportunity to capture that behavior within the Extended Play scratch category.
“Lotteries have done a wonderful job of maximizing sales from word-based extended play games over the years,” said Ron Williams, Account Director at Alchemy3. “Price point migration, more play spots and in-game bonuses have helped drive that growth, but there’s only so much more that can be done to improve upon this tried-and-true playstyle. Connect Fourtune’s new—but familiar—playstyle will help the EP category continue to thrive.”
HOW THINGS INCREASE
MAXIMIZE, COMPOUND, AMPLIFY, AUGMENT
Research-Driven Validation
To test the viability of this new wordplay lottery game concept, Alchemy3 partnered with Two Igloos’ agile research platform Propel, which has built in financial modeling capability to conduct quantitative research among more than 1,000 adults (18+) in a major U.S. lottery market. Importantly, the survey sample included both lottery players and non-players, as well
as online wordplay game participants and non-participants.
The findings indicate broad appeal and significant incremental revenue opportunity for lotteries:
Among existing lottery players:
- 80% of lottery players found the concept at least
somewhat appealing (with 42% indicating “very” appealing) - 73% expressed purchase intent within three months
- 44% of lottery players said they would purchase Connect Fourtune in addition to their regular lottery games
From an acquisition standpoint:
74% of online word game players said they would probably, or definitely, purchase the ticket
52% said they would play the lottery more than they do today if Connect Fourtune were available
When modeled at a typical $5 extended play price point within the market area, projected incremental revenue in the tested market would exceed $37 million over six months, driven by both new player acquisition and increased purchase frequency among existing players.
“We’ve conducted survey studies for several North American lottery customers testing concepts to determine player propensities and revenue potential,” said Cameron Maxwell, Managing Partner at Two Igloos. “The Connect Fourtune game is one of the most popular lottery concepts we have ever tested, especially as it relates to non-lottery player purchase intent.”
Managing Cannibalization Risk
For lotteries with strong Crossword or Cashword game performance already, portfolio protection is essential, and new wordplay game introductions need to take potential cannibalization into account. Research findings suggest Connect Fourtune will generate incremental revenue.
54% of regular Crossword scratch players indicated they would purchase Connect Fourtune in addition to their existing play
62% of regular Crossword scratch players indicated they would purchase at least a few more tickets overall if Connect Fourtune were to be introduced
And, across all lottery players surveyed, 46% indicated they would increase overall ticket purchases if the game were available.
The findings indicate Connect Fourtune is positioned to measurably expand the Extended Play category—complementing established word games while driving incremental participation and spend.
Extending Engagement Beyond Retail
ADAPTABLE
VERSATILE, VARIABLE, MULTIFACETED, FLEXIBLE
Connect Fourtune was designed with digital integration in mind. To further encourage trial and engagement, especially from newly recruited players, Alchemy3 has developed a play-for-fun version that can be housed within a lottery’s Second Chance program or Players Club portal.
Players can engage with a digital iteration of the popular word-grouping mechanic, creating additional touchpoints beyond the retail ticket. Each entry can unlock bonus play or promotional opportunities, reinforcing engagement while strengthening the connection between retail and digital ecosystems.
For lotteries seeking to deepen omni-channel engagement, this extension provides incremental value beyond the ticket itself.
A Strategic Moment for Extended Play
Extended Play has been one of the industry’s strongest performers over the past decade. Sustaining that momentum will require thoughtful innovation—products that respect core performers while introducing differentiated mechanics aligned with contemporary player behavior.
Connect Fourtune reflects Alchemy3’s approach to product innovation: culturally-relevant, research-validated and strategically designed to drive acquisition and incremental revenue with limited portfolio disruption.
For lotteries looking to extend the Extended Play growth curve—not merely defend it—Connect Fourtune presents a compelling next step.
INNOVATIVE
ORIGINAL, SMART, INSPIRED, FRESH
