Washington Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Eric Pettigrew to be the new director of the Washington State Lottery Commission from May 1, 2023, replacing Marcus Glasper who left the position at the end of March. Pettigrew is currently the vice-president of government relations and outreach at Seattle Kraken Hockey, a position he has held since 2019. Pettigrew has decades of experience in public service, including 18 years as a legislator for Washington’s 37th legislative district in the House of Representatives, and has served on a number of volunteer boards. Inslee thanked Josh Johnston for serving as the Lottery’s acting director.
The 13 U.S. lotteries that offer the Lotto America game will switch to a digital draw system (DDS) from April 17, 2023, replacing the current numbered balls and mechanical drawing machines. Lotto America’s winning numbers will also be drawn earlier, around 9:15 p.m. CT, and up to 45 minutes earlier than they do currently. The DDS will be used to conduct Lotto America drawings using the Origin Digital Draw System from Smartplay International. DDS machines are not connected to any network or system and are physically secured in a double-locked cabinet when not in use. The DDS has been certified by an independent gaming testing laboratory, ensuring randomness and security.
Creative agency Cactus has launched an advertising campaign to celebrate the Colorado Lottery’s 40th anniversary. The campaign features a new 40th Anniversary scratch-off game, which the Colorado Lottery said had raised $4bn for state parks, trails, wildlife and open spaces. The ad shows two hikers being greeted by a talking tree and rock before a bear pops up to thank them for playing the lottery, and adds that it has decided not to eat them. The Lottery’s three-pronged strategy for revenue, responsibility and conservation will continue, said director Tom Seaver.
Massachusetts Lottery and the Mississippi Lottery have new ads.
Georgia Lottery Corporation has extended its contract with Scientific Games to offer its high-performance Scratchers to the lottery players for seven more years. Scientific Games has been providing games, technologies, analytics, and services to 130 lotteries in 50 countries. It employs over 1,100 Georgians at its headquarters, including a large manufacturing workforce. Scientific Games has designed and produced almost all of the Georgia Lottery’s Scratcher products for three decades, and Georgia Scratchers’ retail sales have grown by over 20% in the past five years. The Georgia Lottery is ranked No. 2 in the world for instant game per capita sales. The partnership program includes product distribution across the Georgia Lottery’s network of more than 8,500 retailers.
Arizona Lottery has partnered with Atlas Experiences, LLC to offer 50 lucky players and their guests a seven-day, six-night Hawaii Dream Getaway to Maui, featuring a private Darius Rucker acoustic concert and guaranteed cash prizes. Players can enter their eligible $10 and $20 Scratchers and Fast Play tickets into the promotion through June 15. The event will take place in December 2023 at the Fairmont Kea Lani, a top resort in the area. Winners will also have the opportunity to participate in the $50,000 Lucky Pik Game Show, with the chance to win additional cash prizes.
Norway plans to introduce DNS blocking to bar offshore gambling sites from offering their products to local customers. The proposal, which has been talked about for over a decade, is backed by the current minister of culture and may come into power on January 1, 2024. The measure goes against earlier projections that Norway would eventually introduce a licensing model like Sweden and Denmark. Critics believe that blocking such sites is censorship that infringes on customers’ privacy, while others believe it might not have the expected effect. The DNS blocking proposal has been in limbo for a while and might also lead to legal battles between the Norwegian government and gambling operators.
Swedish legislators have passed a law requiring B2B businesses to hold gaming software licences if they wish to continue their relationships with operators in the country. The aim is to restrict the unlicensed operator sector’s access to providers and prevent the growth of the black market. A total of 24 suppliers, including Svenska Spel and Co-Gaming, have already received licences and can enter into commercial agreements with operators in Sweden. The move is part of a range of measures aimed at disrupting illegal gambling in the country, including increased funding for the gambling regulator.