27 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 What’s interesting is how closely this parallels the broader video gaming market. Gamers today seek different experiences, from quick casual play to deeply immersive adventures. They want variety, different mechanics and different levels of mental engagement. Lottery games are evolving in the same direction. On retail shelves, extended-play crosswords and bingo remain extremely popular. Digitally, we can build even richer experiences—bonus rounds, mini-games, step-through adventures and mechanics inspired by arcade and platform gaming. A great example of this is JUNGLE QUEST, our eInstant game, which replicates a classic arcade side-scroller. It’s the No. 2-performing game in New Zealand since its launch. As lotteries expand their digital portfolios, we expect this diversification to accelerate. The future will include quick-play, long-play, casual, complex and even socially driven experiences. The key is to meet players where they are, with content that feels familiar, yet surprising—and always responsible. How does GameChoice, Scientific Games’ recently launched AI-powered lottery product recommendation engine, enhance the player experience? M. Lynch: SG Analytics is leveraging AI and machine learning to enhance many points in the player journey, and GameChoice is an early but important milestone. It makes game discovery easier and more engaging at selfservice machines by guiding players to options they’re most likely to enjoy. Choice is appealing, but it can be overwhelming – and sometimes cause the wrong results. The famous “Jam Experiment” demonstrated that interest increased when consumers saw 24 jam flavors, but actual purchases were 10 times higher when only six flavors were displayed. The smaller display led to 30% of customers being more inclined to buy, while the large display led to 3% being more inclined to buy, despite drawing a large crowd. The psychology of choice is incredibly compelling. Game Choice applies this principle by offering contextual recommendations like ‘players who bought X, also bought Y.’ That makes the selection process feel intuitive rather than overwhelming. From a broader perspective, there isn’t a major shopping or streaming platform today that doesn’t rely on personalization. Well-executed personalization typically drives 5-10% revenue growth along with higher customer satisfaction. Scientific Games is in the early stages of bringing this to lotteries—responsibly and across channels. The AI we’re developing will increasingly support: • Full personalization across UI, game recommendations and CRM communications • New game development/discovery, informed by real player preferences • Enhanced responsible gaming through predictive models of healthy play Personalization isn’t just about selling more—it’s about helping players navigate the experience in a way that feels tailored, enjoyable and safe. Is player registration the vital first step to unlocking the power of digital benefits for the player and operator alike? M. Lynch: Anonymous players represent one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Without knowing who players are, it’s tough to deliver elevated, personalized experiences, streamline journeys, provide meaningful loyalty rewards or tailor communications responsibly. In my experience outside the lottery industry, registration has always been a trade-off in customer conversion. Guest checkout offers strong short-term conversion, but registration leads to significantly better long-term outcomes—better personalization, faster future interactions and greater lifetime value. Part of the friction we see in lottery is that players don’t always understand the benefits of registering. Another factor is that retail and digital have historically been treated as separate ecosystems. Many jurisdictions are still developing digital components of the player journey. As lotteries increasingly adopt omnichannel approaches, registration becomes essential. Even in states without iLottery, digital solutions enhance the retail experience—whether through a loyalty program, couponing, digital ticket storage or secondchance entries. That is why Scientific Games is investing deeply in customer experience (CX). One example is our recent hire of Joey Lewis, VP of Digital Marketing & Loyalty. Joey brings two decades of loyalty and marketing leadership from major brands like Alaska Airlines, General Motors, Hilton and Albertsons. She’s now leading loyalty, digital marketing and CRM initiatives to help lotteries meet players wherever they are—from physical to digital— in a seamless, value-driven way. The more players understand the benefits of registration, the faster we can build the connected experiences they want and that lotteries need to stay competitive. The recent Lotto NZ systems go-live represents the full arsenal of Scientific Games capabilities, from retail terminals to communications infrastructure, central systems, logistics, digital platforms, player account management, CRM and game content. Describe the advantages of what sounds like the truly integrated, omnichannel player journey. M. Lynch: It's been just a few months since go-live, and the collaboration with Lotto NZ has been extraordinary. Results are surpassing expectations across the board. What’s particularly powerful is the approach to digital. Instead of digital competing with retail, Lotto NZ has embraced a unified program focused on optimizing the entire player experience across all channels. It mirrors what world-class retailers like Nordstrom have done. Their success comes from one brand, one experience, with every channel working together to serve the customer holistically. This is the future of lottery: a singular omnichannel experience where players can engage where and how they prefer, with personalization and consistency across the entire ecosystem. There are so many advantages, including: • Aligned incentives across retail and digital teams, shifting focus to lifetime value rather than channel competition • Player-first experience design, optimizing for how individuals actually want to engage • A unified data set enabling better insight, faster action and more relevant marketing • Simplified accountability, focusing teams on growing the total business • Speed to market, without multi-vendor negotiations slowing down innovation • Frictionless launch of omnichannel games, because content, platforms and services come from one integrated provider Ultimately, the Lotto NZ program demonstrates what’s possible when a lottery adopts a fully connected ecosystem. It’s not just technology integration—it’s strategic alignment designed to power outstanding player experiences and stronger returns to beneficiaries. n GAME OF THRONES and all related characters and elements © & ™ Home Box Office, Inc. JURASSIC WORLD and JURASSIC PARK © Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2025 Scientific Games, LLC. All rights reserved.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4MTM=