Public Gaming Magazine January/February 2016

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January/February 2016 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // 51
a Coca Cola game that features a new flavor). “Product Bundles”
or baskets where scratch games could be offered as a bundle with
other popular items found at convenience stores and gas stations
around specific “themes” may create new purchase occasions and
appeal to a different shopper than just the end user. So, for ex-
ample, a husband may be more inclined to purchase a Valentines
themed gift basket for his wife that potentially includes scratch
games, chocolate and a card that speaks to how rich life is be-
cause of her. Other ideas could include a Road Trip Kit with
mini travel board games, a gas card and scratch off tickets or a
“pot of gold” gift basket for St. Patricks Day that includes scratch
offs and gold chocolate coins. The list of potential themes goes
on and on. This tactic works very well for packaged good brands
and large retailers, so why not for the lottery category? And I am
sure many retailers and brands would love to partner with the
state lottery.
Nicole’s recommendation and experience is also supported by
research done by two Yale University professors that shows that
“bundling products works well as a sales strategy especially to
increase overall revenue and sales.” Give people another compel-
ling opportunity to purchase games, and they will!
To conclude:
When planning the next generation of products to fill your in-
novation pipeline and product calendar you may want to consider
following learning to help your product stand out, boost sales and
attract new users to the category:
• Can you make the games physically stand out at point of sale
(make them bigger, smaller, rounder, etc.)
• Can the game(s) leverage relevant trends in pop culture such as
popular TV shows and thus tap into people passion points?
• Can you leverage the digital space to create experiences that
would enable potential players to experience and share the thrill
of playing and winning?
• Lastly, in addition to trying to increase the number of retail out-
lets, can you think of ideas that would increase the number of
purchase occasions like creating memorable product bundles? ■
Ulli Appelbaum is Founder & President of brand research and consult-
ing firm First-The-Trousers-Then-the-Shoes (www.first-the-trousers.
com) specialized in brand growth, product innovation and brand sto-
rytelling. He has been working for various lottery agencies for the last 2
years. He can be reached at
developing the scholarship program of
which 69 individuals took advantage of
since its launch in 2013 to participate to
those events, at WLA’s expenses.
What are some of the obstacles to accom-
plishing what we need as a community of
government-gaming operators? What can
individual lotteries do to help our common
cause to defend the lottery model on the legal/
political/regulatory front? Or compete in the
consumer market-place?
J.L. Moner-Banet: The community
of WLA Lottery Members has to culti-
vate its historical values which are the
operation of games for the profit of the
public utility, good causes and public
treasuries, whilst respecting the best
practices and standards in place in the
domain of integrity, transparency and
social responsibility.
By being faithful to all these values,
our members defend what was their
purpose, the reason for which they were
created and contribute to making our
community of members unique on the
gaming and gambling market which is,
by the way, largely governed by purely
mercantile laws from which we essential-
ly distinguish ourselves by the destina-
tion of our profits to good causes.
How does the WLA help them in their mis-
sion to prosper and grow in an increasingly
challenging market-place and regulatory
environment?
J.L. Moner-Banet: To come back to
the first question and my answer, the
WLA contributes to the prosperity and
growth of its members by developing the
standards of our industry, favoring the
education, exchange of experiences and
best practices with our members as well
as by being quality partners of interna-
tional entities in all domains, in particu-
lar sports, such as the IOC or FIFA.
What do you see as the most important trends
when it comes to the game-styles that consum-
ers are drawn to?
J.L. Moner-Banet: More than a ques-
tion of game-style, I think that the evo-
lution of these last years and the ones we
see for a close future concern more the
ways of marketing rather than the games
themselves. Saying that, I think of course
of the increasing development of inter-
active channels, mobile terminals, social
networks, but also of the importance of
following the evolution of technology by
being able to implement it in the retail
market which remains—and for a long
time to come—the number one source
of revenue of our members. ■
Jean-Luc Moner-Banet Interview … continued from page 10