International Game Technology PLC (IGT) (NYSE: IGT) announced that its subsidiary, IGT Global Services Limited (hereinafter “IGT”), signed a seven-year agreement with La Française des Jeux (“FDJ”), the operator of the French National Lottery, which is the second largest European lottery and the fourth largest lottery in the world. IGT will upgrade the current lottery central system to IGT’s advanced Aurora™ platform. The new system with its enhanced functionality is expected to go live in the first quarter of 2023.
“As FDJ’s lottery central system partner for more than 20 years, IGT has a keen understanding of the innovative technology needs of its business,” said Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer, Lottery. “Omnichannel lottery experiences enhance player engagement and are what consumers will come to expect as part of the overall player journey as lotteries continue incorporating more digital solutions. The enhanced omnichannel aspects that IGT will add to FDJ’s lottery infrastructure, combined with the exceptional reliability, performance and flexibility of our Aurora platform, will help FDJ maintain the French National Lottery’s standing as one of the most successful lotteries in the world.”
“Now that we have successfully scaled FDJ’s digital o er, thanks to our new omnichannel architecture and our proprietary iLottery platform, it is time to launch the upgrade of our central draw games engine to next-level omnichannel capabilities. It is a major program in FDJ’s strategic plan, and we are pleased to pursue our longstanding collaboration with IGT to make this important step a success,” said Xavier Etienne, FDJ Executive VP Technology & International.
Aurora is IGT’s sophisticated lottery central system that works to transform, manage, and grow lottery businesses.
Once installed, Aurora’s framework will be connected to FDJ’s player and retailer account management platforms, enabling end-to-end integration of classic draw games into FDJ’s new digital omnichannel architecture.
IGT has served as the primary lottery central system supplier to FDJ since 2000. In addition to the lottery central system, IGT provides FDJ with instant ticket vending machines, instant tickets, technology training, and maintenance.