PANELISTS
– Scott Kenyon, Draw Games Product Manager, Massachusetts Lottery
– Stephanie Weyant, Deputy Executive Director, Marketing & Products, Pennsylvania Lottery
– Julie Terrell, Draw Games Coordinator, Texas Lottery
– Moderator: Byron La Fleur, Associate Publisher, La Fleur’s Magazine
The Draw Game Panel focused on what areas of innovation need to be explored in draw games.
“Draw games in Massachusetts have distinct niches,” said Kenyon. “The lottery can make tweaks to keep those games relevant. The big bloc games are more about new audiences and exposure. The lottery uses the big jackpot games to cross sell other games in the portfolio.”
“There is a lot of FOMO with the big jackpot games. Convenience is key,” asserted Weyant. “Anything the lottery can do to help the player avoid missing a drawing would help. That might be selling online or easy subscriptions and better payment options.”
Panelists also noted that erosion of in-state lotto games has been ongoing. “We have seen a very slow decay in in-state lotto games. That is more because of the increase in the total number of games Texas offers rather than losses from the national games. The national games lift Texas’ in-state games when the jackpots get big,” said Terrell.
The In-Lane Panel addressed the opportunities as well as challenges with implementing this new technology.
“The ability to add in-lane increases our retailers by 20%,” said Gregg Edgar, Executive Director, Arizona Lottery. “We are looking at paper ticket solutions as well. We do not have a retailer yet for that. There is a strong argument to be made for in-lane from a marketing communications point of view. The lottery gets lottery jackpots in front of the consumer. One of the most effective advertising techniques is roadside jackpot signs. This is a big change and we are not an industry that embraces change. Managing that process with the lottery and key vendors is not something which comes easy. We have to embrace change.”
“The battle used to be getting the big boxes to take the product. Now they come to us and say we want in-lane tomorrow,” said Purcell. “The POS must be in front of the customers. It is about impulse and convenience, but if they don’t see the offer, it will blend in with candy and everything else.”
“The biggest challenge with in-lane is the communication piece,” stressed Mindell. “Having many parties involved can be a challenge. If there is not constant communication, it is difficult to keep a project moving forward.”