18 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 E-Instants: A Transatlantic Conversation on Lottery Innovation Piet Van Baeveghem Secretary General, EL (European Lotteries Association) David Gale Executive Director, NASPL (North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries Paul Jason: Besides specific criteria that are defined by national, state, or jurisdictional legislation, are there universal characteristics that e-instants share with other forms of lottery games, and that make them different from casino games? David Gale: Across jurisdictions, e-instants share several foundational characteristics with traditional lottery products that distinguish them from casino-style games. At their core, e-instants are lottery games of chance with predetermined outcomes, governed by a central system and subject to the same public-interest mandates that apply to draw games and scratch tickets. Importantly, e-instants are designed and offered within a highly regulated, government-authorized framework, where revenues support public beneficiaries and responsible gaming protections are embedded by design. Piet Van Baeveghem: Absolutely! Lottery games are fundamentally different from casino games, and there are several reasons for this. Lotteries are organised for the benefit of society - to support good causes - whereas casino games are primarily focused on entertainment and amusement for the player. The public-interest purpose inherently means a lower payout percentage for lottery games than for casino games. While this may sound technical, it fundamentally shapes the player experience and the perception of winning. Another key distinction lies in player interaction. The outcome of an e-instant, like all lottery games, cannot be influenced by the PGRI INTERVIEWS PGRI Introduction: As lotteries continue to modernise their product portfolios, e-Instants have emerged as one of the most important product innovations of recent years. The online offering of lottery games has created new opportunities to offer more animated instant games alongside traditional drawbased products and scratch cards. At the same time, the rise of increasingly animated online games has raised important regulatory and strategic questions. In some jurisdictions where both online casino games and e-Instants are offered, tensions have emerged - particularly when casino games appear visually similar to e-Instants at first glance. These developments have prompted some regulators to question more openly the distinction between e-Instants and online casino games. At national level, there may always exist very specific criteria that determine whether a game is considered a lottery product or another type of game. Beyond this, there are also more universal characteristics distinguishing lottery and casino games, alongside the ongoing evolution of other products that incorporate gambling features. Against this backdrop, it is a timely moment for discussion. Bringing together European and North American perspectives, this interview with Piet Van Baeveghem, Secretary General, EL & David Gale, Executive Director, NASPL, explores why e-Instants matter for the future of lotteries and how they can continue to evolve while respecting traditional lottery features and regulatory expectations worldwide. Both see a leading role for their Associations to contribute to this debate.
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