8 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2025 From the Publisher Our “Pulse of the Industry” news section offers a streamlined look at key stories from the past six weeks. For the complete list of unedited articles, visit our news website at PublicGaming.com. It’s always revealing to see which themes emerge as I distill the news into the limited space we allocate for this section. In my last publisher’s note, I highlighted one such theme: the ongoing lack of support that the government-run lottery sector receives from policymakers and regulators. While government stakeholders have never been particularly vocal champions of the lottery, the policy-making trends of recent years have been especially perplexing—such as the push to legalize sports betting, including online platforms, while simultaneously restricting iLottery, cashless payments, and other lottery innovations. Insofar as lottery is a much less harmful form of gaming than casinos and sports betting in terms of problem gambling, and deliver far more economic benefit to society, these contradictions are hard to reconcile — until we consider the influence of campaign contributions and lobbying, which seem to outweigh the interests of the general public in the minds of legislators. That said, the past couple of months have brought a wave of stories highlighting legislative efforts to crack down on sweepstakes, internet cafés and online gambling schemes disguised as nongambling activities, unlicensed gambling machines, and other forms of illegal gambling. Hopefully, this signals a shift toward prioritizing public interest and the support of good causes over the agendas of commercial operators and illegal enterprises. I asked Harold Mays whether we’re now competing more directly with other forms of gaming than we were twenty years ago. The answer is more nuanced than a simple “yes.” Harold brings a wide-angle lens to the conversation—one that connects the dots between broader societal and cultural trends and how they influence consumer and player behavior. For example, the influence of spectator sports on lottery (and society in general) goes far beyond just sports betting. Harold looks beyond the surface with a view towards positioning our businesses for long-term success—not just for next quarter, but five to eight years down the road. Remember when a standard question was, “Where do you see the industry twenty years from now?” How quaint, or maybe just optimistic. My conversation with Tonya Beenders, by contrast, focused on what’s happening right now; on real-world strategies that are driving sales today. As the face of Lottery to the consumer, our network of retailers is a goldmine of untapped potential. INTRALOT, Inc. has been on a tear lately, driving change, innovation, and progress over the last number of years. Under the leadership of CEO Richard Bateson, the company is executing a strategic vision centered on customer-focused operations and cutting-edge technology—delivering more value today while future-proofing IT investments to position us for tomorrow. I asked Lorne Weil, Executive Chair of Inspired Entertainment, to turn his PGRI Smart-Tech presentation into an article as it puts hard numbers (based on research and surveys conducted by Simon Jaworski and Lotto Research) behind a concern many of us have shared: the growing impact on Lottery of easy consumer access to a wide range of gaming options. One takeaway: The influence of online casino-style eGaming is projected to far surpass that of sports betting. We all know that player preferences and play-styles are evolving. For a closer look at what drives the digital-first generation, flip to page 30. ZEAL Network has been growing alongside its digitally native audience for more than twenty-five years. CEO Helmut Becker walks us through how consumer lifestyle expectations are shaping ZEAL’s strategy to reimagine the player journey as well as lottery games to win new players while continuing to appeal to core players. As iLottery growth in the U.S. flattens out, player acquisition and retention strategies are being updated. Pollard Banknote is leading the way with a focus on diversifying the portfolio of games to reach a broader audience of players and omni-channel interaction to drive engagement. It’s that time of year again! Since Holiday Scratchers can make up over 10% of total annual Instants sales, Scientific Games pours a lot of research, surveys, and analyses into the project of maximizing those sales. The Holiday season may be a few months away, but it’s time to start planning your Holiday Instant Scratch-Card campaigns. Turn to page 22 for your SG primer! IGT has two new ideas to share: LotteryLink™ is its break-through awardwinning solution to In-Lane lottery that lets retailers quickly and easily sell lottery games in-lane on their own point-of-sale devices. And the new Digital Menu Board showcases Instant Games to boost player engagement, instant ticket sales, and operational efficiency. The WLA/EL Marketing Seminar is always a brilliant way to jump-start the new year. This year was special as it has moved (along with the ICE Totally Gaming trade-show) from London to Barcelona. Some of us miss London but do love the change of scenery (after more than twenty years of being in London). Next up for our European colleagues is the EL Congress in Bern Switzerland in September. That’ll be right after the NASPL conference in Niagara Falls. And right before PGRI Smart-Tech Conference in Nashville the first week of November. See NASPL.org, European-Lotteries.org, and PublicGaming. org or PublicGaming.com for updates, registration, and more information. Paul Jason, Publisher Public Gaming International Magazine
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4MTM=