North American lotteries plan to rock the day and night away with specialty holiday tickets, live holiday events and retail promotions, digital advertising campaigns, VIP holiday rewards and more. A brief roundup follows below as published in the November/December edition of La Fleur’s Magazine
Arizona: Jingle All the Way
The Arizona Lottery’s holiday slogan shifts on a monthly basis. In October, players are reminded that “It’s beginning to look a lot like winning.” In November, they’re told to “Deck the halls with holiday Scratchers®. And in December, they can “Jingle all the way home with the perfect gift.”
“We are excited about the whole lineup but in particular I think the $20 100X the Cash will be extremely popular as well as our two new Fast Play games, $2 To Me, from Santa and $5 Holiday Cash Drop,” said Mary Cimaglio, Senior Instant Games Manager, Arizona Lottery.
Physical holiday events also return in 2022. The lottery will be sponsoring City Skate at a skating rink in downtown Phoenix. It will also organize caroler “popups” to hand out Scratcher tickets to unsuspecting people. The lottery will be supporting Arizona small business owners by paying vendor fees at holiday markets.
“We are so excited to get back into event marketing this year so we’re shifting away from our virtual livestream to hit the streets with holiday cheer. But we’ll make sure to capture these events to then share on social media in the form of reels,” said Shelby Alessi, Marketing Manager, Arizona Lottery.
Maryland: Holiday Cash
Maryland Lottery will organize The Holiday Cash second-chance promotion for its players club. All five holiday games ($1-$10) plus The Game of Life™ ($20) will be connected. Weekly drawings run for 12 weeks for a total of $275,000 in cash prizes.
The lottery will be selling the sixth edition of its popular $3 Peppermint Payout game. “It continues to overperform and is surely a player favorite,” said Carole Gentry, Managing Director, Communications, Maryland Lottery.
Each year, the Maryland Lottery participates in a number of holiday-themed community events across the state. “We tout (and sell) our holiday tickets and display our popular scratch-off ‘trees,’” said Gentry.
DC: Give The Gift Of Joy
The Office of Lottery & Gaming (DC) launched three holiday scratchers—$1 Peppermint Payout, $2 Merry Money Multiplier, and $5 Festive $500s.
“This year, we’ve decided to have a little fun and feature a peppermint-scent to go along with the $1 Peppermint Payout game. We also loaded our $5 Festive $500s with over 300 top prizes,” said Stephen Cooke, Instant Product Manager, DC Lottery.
“Give the Gift of Joy” is the lottery’s slogan for its advertising campaign. “We hope to boost awareness and sales with a tier-A television campaign that will launch right before the Thanksgiving holiday,” said Cooke.
Hoosier: Flurry of Fun
The Hoosier Lottery will be promoting the gifting message in multiple ways with its myLOTTERY player program. Players will receive email messages and in-app notifications. They can enter a 2nd Chance promotion eligible for all non-winning holiday tickets. And they can play a Flurry of Fun! Digital Game that runs alongside its campaign and 2nd Chance promotion efforts.
“Players will be able to participate in an interactive mobile game by exploring surroundings to find hidden holiday jingles, including augmented reality technology with a custom selfie camera which will create social moments as unique as every snowflake. And by coming back each day to explore, players will able to find even more ‘hidden’ surprises,” said Brittany D’Haenens, Director of Marketing, Hoosier Lottery.
The lottery is implementing special holiday retail campaigns. “We have integrated QR codes within the standee and play center insert. We also designed ‘cardvelopes’ available for shoppers to place their tickets into a card to help package the gift. We’re layering in in-store radio and pump toppers and unique retailer promotions at select retailers to help extend the promotion,” said D’Haenens.
Michigan: Tinsel Town
The Michigan Lottery launched four holiday tickets on October 25, followed by a winter seasonal game in December.
In terms of the big holiday hit, “this year I think it’s a toss-up between our $10 game ‘The Perfect Gift’ and the $1 game ‘Tinsel Town,’” said Lindsay Sands, Printed Products Manager, Michigan Lottery.
Both have unique attributes that have been applied, such as a holographic bow and a winter scene displayed across five consecutive tickets. “The last two times Michigan featured a scene on a $1 holiday game, both sold out within eight weeks,” said Sands.
Kentucky: Let It Scratch
Kentucky Lottery Corp. (KLC) launched a holiday landing page to publicize its seasonal offers, game information and a DIY gift guide, complete with KLC branded gift tags.
According to the lottery’s Digital Team, there are lots of holiday activities planned. “We will once again have a holiday influencer campaign utilizing local influencers. Each influencer will craft unique content that pairs playing the Kentucky Lottery with their specific brand. This holiday season, four local influencers will promote utilizing Kentucky Lottery Scratch-offs as tokens of appreciation and as part of their holiday décor for Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving and will show creative methods to gift Kentucky Lottery Scratch-offs to anyone on their list for Xmas. This content will feature fun games, giveaways, and cute DIY ideas and will be promoted on Facebook and Instagram.”
KLC is also bringing back a fan favorite campaign on social again this year with its 12 Days of Giveaways. Starting November 28th, followers of the Kentucky Lottery can check its social pages @kylottery to reveal and enter for a chance to win the prize of the day. The prizes offered throughout the promotion will include a variety of Kentucky Lottery games and gifts including Scratch-off coupons, bonus bucks to play the Kentucky Lottery online, and coupons for exciting draw games.
Finally, all Kentucky Lottery Fun Club members will be emailed a surprise Holiday Scratch-off coupon. “Email recipients will receive either a $1, $2, $5 or $10 coupon but do not know which Holiday Scratch-off coupon they have received until they visit a Kentucky Lottery retail location to reveal the offer,” according to KLC.
ALC: Moment of Holiday Fun
The Atlantic Lottery Corp. (ALC) is selling three holiday tickets—Holiday Pack, Let It Snow, and Holiday Fortune (National game).
“The slogan remained the same as always for our advertising which is ‘A little moment of fun,’” said Brigitte Porelle Bourque, Product Manager, Scratch, ALC.
The lottery predicts its $25 scratcher will be a big hit again this year. “The $25 Holiday Pack is popular as it offers lots of play value with five great tickets and a free $2 Promo Code for players to be able to go play on alc.ca,” said Bourque.
Connecticut: Holiday Bonus
Connecticut Lottery Corp. is offering four holiday tickets. The price points offered are $1, $2, $5, and $10.
In terms of the big hit, “all our holiday tickets are typically very popular. This year, we are bringing back a $10 holiday ticket—Holiday Bonus. It features a nice traditional design and a $100,000 prize,” said Pete Donahue, Senior Director of Marketing & Sales, Connecticut Lottery.
“We have created three digital videos with The Spirit of Winning theme from our TV spot. We will utilize these videos through our digital and social channels,” said Donahue.
Texas: Holiday Shakeup
The Texas Lottery’s slogan for its holiday marketing campaign is “Shake Up Their Holidays.”
“We have a really fun social media micro-campaign with quick animated reminders to give Texas Lottery holiday scratch tickets as gifts. The fun animations showcase the different holiday tickets and have a fun quirky sensibility that we believe will result in very shareable content,” said Andrew Leeper, Brand Strategy Coordinator, Texas Lottery.
The Texas Lottery will sell four holiday tickets—Holiday Bucks, Winter Words, Nutcracker Cash, and Peppermint Payout Deluxe.“Nutcracker Cash is a die cut ticket at the $5 price point. There are three different scenes and each really stands out especially when combined with the ticket’s unique nutcracker shape,” said Dale Bowersock, Scratch Ticket Strategy Coordinator, Texas Lottery.
Virginia: Omni-Channel Holidays
The Virginia Lottery will run a holiday omni-channel campaign focusing on three areas: player acquisition, engagement and retention.
“‘Holiday Your Way’ will offer a variety of retail and online play options,” said Prudence Milligan, Customer Strategy Manager, Virginia Lottery. “We are doubling the value of entries into our eXTRA Chances program and will conduct four drawings for prizes of Online Cash and vending credits. We’ll highlight that, along with an offer for an online deposit bonus, on our Keno show.”
Players purchasing Virginia Lottery’s New Year Millionaire Raffle ticket will receive a promo code for a 50% discount on a Powerball ticket purchased online, and those who purchase a holiday eInstant will receive a coupon for a free Print’n Play ticket.
“Retention efforts for holiday players will continue through a robust email marketing campaign. In short, wherever our players are, we’ll be right there with them!” said Milligan.
The lottery’s primary holiday paid media campaign will run on all broadcast platforms, including Google and programmatic digital display and video.
“We also have four Virginia-based social influencers to support the campaign, including a demonstration of how to creatively integrate scratchers into your gift wrapping,” said Lindsay Yowell, Senior Advertising Manager, Virginia Lottery.
WCLC: Deck The Halls
The Western Canada Lottery Corp. (WCLC) is offering an online contest—PICK YOUR PRESENT—on nine eligible holiday tickets.
“Players are able to enter codes on the contest site to gain entries into prize draws of their choosing. They essentially get to pick which presents they would most like to win – from travel to gaming to smart home packages, and of course, cash. There are also instant prizes of $50 prepaid credit cards awarded throughout the contest period. PICK YOUR PRESENT provides extra value at a key time of year for players, as well as those who are gifted instant tickets. Whether they win or lose on the physical ticket, they have the opportunity to extend their play experience and chance to win,” said Chelsey Rowledge, Team Lead, Instant Products, WCLC.
Illinois: Holiday Sweeps
The Illinois Lottery is running a “Wrap-Up Your Holiday Sweepstakes” for players age 18+ who have an iLottery account. Players enter on the lottery’s website or app. Entrants will have the chance to win a $5,000, $1,000 or one of two $500 gift cards.
“The sweepstakes will be promoted through digital channels, such as owned social and email, and website placements, but also through holiday POS in our retail locations. Players will be able to navigate to our entry page through a QR code,” said Meghan Powers, Communications Director, Illinois Lottery.
This year the lottery developed POS that included various lug-ons and die cut pieces to give a 3D dimension. “We included a standee that looks like a Fireplace with papercraft holiday lug-ons like ornaments, candy canes and presents,” said Powers.
Missouri: Feel The Magic
The Missouri Lottery’s slogan for its holiday lineup is “Feel The Magic.”
The lottery projects its $20 “Holiday Gold” will be the big hit. “Our $20 game will again offer exceptional play value and provide extra appeal with Bonus Spots and additional Scratch My Back® play on the reverse side. It also features Sparkle® printing technology for an extra festive look at retail,” said Bill Burton, Instant Product Manager, Missouri Lottery.
“We’ve seen growth in our $20 holiday game sales each year for the past three years since adding the Scratch My Back® play feature to the $20 game offering. Last year’s $20 holiday Scratch My Back® ticket set a sales record for a $20 holiday game, outselling the prior year’s holiday game by more than 18%,” he added.
The lottery will also offer players the trip of their dreams in the Second Chance of a Lifetime: “Holiday Chillin’ & Thrillin” promotion. Players must enter $10 worth of holiday scratchers and/or draw tickets through their MyLottery players club account or the lottery’s mobile app.
“There will be a digital-only statewide media buy for the Lottery as Gifts campaign, targeting 18+ year old Missourians with a propensity for game play and focusing on: Streaming Audio, Connected TV and Social Media,” said Rhonda Fehr, Advertising Manager, Missouri Lottery.
Louisiana: Holiday Look
The Louisiana Lottery Corp. launched a special website promotion called “Your Winning Holiday Look” at the end of November for two weeks. Players uploaded an original photo.
“We will choose 12 winners to receive a holiday prize package that includes a pair of super fun Lottery holiday gnome socks using imagery from the $1 scratch-off game,” said Susan Clayton, Products Director, Louisiana Lottery.
The $1 Gnome for the Holidays has four scenes featuring Christmas gnomes and top prizes of $500. The gnome socks will also be used as giveaways for the lottery’s radio listener call-in and holiday web/social media promotions.
Nebraska: Holiday Wishes
The Nebraska Lottery is reminding players that “Holiday Wishes Do Come True!”
“We are excited to introduce a $10 holiday game to our portfolio this year with a limited print quantity and a low top-tier prize. This game will be eligible for our 2nd chance contest,” said Brian Griesenbrock, Products Manager, Nebraska Lottery.
The lottery’s MVP members will receive an E-Coupon which will give them $5 free additional product with a $10 purchase. Griesenbrock added that “we will be giving all retailers a $5 coupon as a ‘thank you.’”
NCEL: Loaded Holiday Scratcher
North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) took a popular value proposition in its scratch-off portfolio and applied it to its holiday games with the “loaded” concept.
“These types of games are consistently top performers and we think that the value proposition along with the prize structures that emphasize meaningful wins over the top prize are perfect for the holiday scratch-off players,” said Randy Spielman, Deputy Executive Director, Product Development & Digital Gaming, NCEL.
All the holiday scratch tickets plus two holiday Fast Play games can be entered into the annual second chance promotion for a chance to win up to $150,000. “Players that enter any of the holiday game/tickets will have the chance to play our Holiday Match & Win interactive game to reveal how many entries that they have received into the second chance promotion,” said Spielman.
NCEL also developed a Reindeer Relay game for play on desktop and mobile. Players compete for a top ranking on the leader board as well as new holiday scratch-offs.
Pennsylvania: #sELFie
The Pennsylvania Lottery’s VIP Players Club will feature The #sELFie Second-Chance Drawing.
“We will also have a custom lens on Snapchat where players can take a #sELFie and make themselves into an elf,” said Kelly Cortez, Director of Marketing, Pennsylvania Lottery.
The Lottery will continue to work with influencers this year to promote its holiday Scratch-Offs. “We will once again utilize paid social on Facebook and Instagram,” added Cortez.
The agency decided to move up its $30 game launch of $3 Million Snow Bank from November into the October blitz. “This is the first time a $30 game has been launched with a $20 game, and the performance of the two together is something we are very excited to see,” said Kara Sparks, Director of Products, Pennsylvania Lottery. “By making it more wintry-themed and launching with the other popular holiday-themed games, it keeps the $30 price point top of mind at retail while ensuring the game isn’t too whimsical for $30 players.”
The lottery also wanted to provide space between the $30 game launch and the next $50 game launch at the end of December. “We feel the breathing room between these two launches will help both price points throughout the season and into the New Year,” said Sparks.
Ohio: Naughty or Nice
Ohio Lottery will run two different scratcher holiday advertising campaigns this year. “The product-centric/promotional campaign is ‘Naughty or Nice, You May Get to Play Twice!’ The slogan for the more aspirational, gift-giving campaign is ‘Lucky Year,’” said Ron Fornaro, Instant Ticket Product Manager, Ohio Lottery.
Fornaro anticipates the $1,000,000 Merry Multiplier ($20) will be the big hit due to the price point’s popularity.
SCEL: Joyful Holiday
South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) projects its $200,000 Holiday Jackpot will be its big hit this year.
“This is our first $5 holiday scratch-off since FY13,” said Ammie Smith, Director, Product Development, SCEL. “It is part of our year-long 20th Anniversary Second-Chance promotion and it is an extended play game.”
Colorado: Joy of Gifting
Colorado Lottery will use full-cover menu boards for the first time for the holidays. Retail POS will include an ESMM attract screen, Gemini surround, and a colorful Scratcher register topper.
The Lottery will also offer a brand new holiday digital game. Tightly Wound is a free digital game loosely based on the classic Snake game.
“It was created as an interactive promotion for our players during the holiday season, offering the chance to win Scratch ticket prize packs for those who play,” said Scott Chavkin, Marketing Director, Colorado Lottery.
“Users play as a tangled ball of lights causing havoc over a neighborhood at night, collecting light bulbs, presents, and curious cats and citizens that get in the way.”