Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and caldron bubble! Halloween-theme lottery games are attracting consumers in fall 2020 as U.S. lotteries strive to satisfy new as well as frequent players.
The New Hampshire Lottery reports players are “goblin” up the extreme Halloween-theme products newly available for sales as eInstants in fall 2020. “Since we launched iLottery just over two years ago, this is our first year offering a seasonal Halloween game,” said Kelley-Jaye (KJ) Cleland, Chief Product & Program Officer, New Hampshire Lottery. “And with this year also being the first year with two e-Instant providers, we chose to launch two Halloween e-Instants! Halloween Extreme (IWG) launched as an omni channel game (a $2 scratch ticket with similar look and feel launched at retail with an iLottery offer), and Cash O’Lanterns (NPi) launched one month later. Both games are holding their own and are in the top 25% of all e-Instants offered right now. Both games are utilized to offer a different seasonal experience for the player, to assist with acquisition efforts and for entertainment.”
Cleland said the $2 Halloween Extreme scratcher ticket, offers a similar look and feel as the Halloween Extreme e-Instant. It also offers free $5 iLottery dollars with registration.
The Pennsylvania Lottery is marketing Halloween instants and Fast Play games. The spooky fun began on September 15 with the launch of the $5 Graveyard Green, $2 Eeek-A-Boo and $1 Make Me Witch.
“Everyone loves the change of seasons and holidays, so our seasonal games allow us to capitalize on what’s already happening in everyday life by providing players with concepts that are top-of-mind during a particular season,” said Pennsylvania Lottery Director of Products Kara Sparks.
Next up on October 6 the Pennsylvania Lottery launched three Fast Play Halloween-themed games: $10 Franklin-Stein, $5 Whole Lotta Mummy and $1 Boo-Yah. “Seasonal Scratch-Off, Fast Play, and iLottery games are, and have always been, an important part of our lottery portfolio in Pennsylvania,” added Sparks. “For Scratch-Offs and Fast Play, seasonal games allow us to keep delivering fresh, new game concepts to our players each and every month. We know our players love variety and seasonal games allow for us to branch away from our typical core game playstyle and themes from time-to-time.”
Michigan Lottery only sells the seasonal Halloween Extreme eInstant. There is no Halloween scratcher sold at retail. “We haven’t launched a Halloween themed game since October 2016, or any seasonal holiday games for that matter beyond the traditional holiday/x-mas scratchers that appear annually in our lineup. Forgoing seasonal themes (shorter selling opportunity) and pivoting our portfolio strategically to feature games with seasonally agnostic themes and longer print runs that are available for extended selling periods to better sustain player demand over time,” said Travis Priest, Printed Products Manager, Michigan Lottery.
In contrast, Pennsylvania Lottery routinely markets short-run holiday games. “Our seasonal games also allow newer or less frequent players to get involved since the price points are usually on the lower end and don’t require as much of an investment,” said Sparks.
