By Scott Eagles, Sports Marketing Manager, Atlantic Lottery
The sports betting landscape is rapidly transforming in the wake of the Supreme Court’s May 2018 ruling that opened the door for legalized sports betting. As individual states continue to legislate and regulate sports gambling, they might look north to a lottery corporation in Canada that has successfully offered sports betting to its players for decades.
Atlantic Lottery has been operating Pro•Line, its omni-channel sports betting product, for 25 years at retail and 15 years online. Its one-of-a-kind business model is an example of how lotteries can run a competitive brand that combines a world-class online user experience with a modernized brick-and-mortar wagering channel.
[/fusion_text][fusion_builder_row_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” element_content=””][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_2″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_code]W2JzYV9wcm9fYWRfc3BhY2UgaWQ9OF0=[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column_inner][fusion_builder_column_inner type=”1_4″ layout=”1_4″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” border_radius=”” box_shadow=”no” dimension_box_shadow=”” box_shadow_blur=”0″ box_shadow_spread=”0″ box_shadow_color=”” box_shadow_style=”” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no” element_content=””][/fusion_builder_column_inner][/fusion_builder_row_inner][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]Retail and Online
At retail, Pro•Line products are fully integrated into Atlantic Lottery’s in-store network of traditional lottery terminals, maximizing its existing locations and technology. Pro•Line recently modernized this retail experience with the introduction of a QR code feature in its mobile app for easy retail purchases. By uniting the online and retail channels, this option has proven popular with players and already accounts for nearly 20% of Atlantic Lottery’s sports retail revenue.
In 2004, Pro•Line launched online, making it the first lottery in North America with online sports betting. Its recently modernized website, which caters to casual and savvy players alike, was developed in-house and offers a seamless, device-responsive experience. In addition to its flagship sports betting markets, Pro•Line also lets players wager on Futures and its popular fixed-odds Fantasy product. The emphasis is on enabling players to place bets when they want, where they want and how they want.
Getting Results
This player-focused, omni-channel approach has yielded strong growth and financial results. Today, the sports betting category makes up 5.2% of Atlantic Lottery’s revenue and is the corporation’s fastest growing category, boasting the highest number of active players per capita in the country. During the past 10 years, total sales have increased 80%. Online continues to grow, as internet revenue made up 19.3% of Sports sales in F19 – up from 16.1% in F18 – and online sales increased more than 40% since launching the modernized website. More than 60% of that online revenue comes via mobile devices.
Employing a relatively small team of its own Sports Traders to manage risk, Pro•Line maintains low operating expenses, allowing more of the profits to be returned to its shareholders, the Atlantic Canadian provinces, to invest in the community and contribute to projects including roads, schools and hospitals. Strategic marketing – including a focus on social and digital media – has allowed Atlantic Lottery to target core players and develop a strong brand in a highly segmented market.
Finding the Right Model
Atlantic Lottery is inviting people to reach out and learn about how they leverage their infrastructure, technology and retail equipment to create one of the most successful regulated sports betting services in North America. Contact askproline@alc.ca to learn how you can apply their decades of experience to create or improve your own sports betting brand.
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