Public Gaming July/August 2016

32 / 76

32 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // July/August 2016
Following is an edited synopsis of the panel discussion held at PGRI SMART-Tech on April 7 in New York. You can view a video
of the complete presentation at . Edited by Paul Jason, PGRI.
Rebecca Hargrove: Our panel discussion focuses on the retail channel, where the internet
is having a dramatic impact. What is your vision for how internet technology will apply to the
retail shopping experience to change how we do business with our retail partners and how players
interact with Lottery?
Rick Weil: There are many things we can do with technology to enhance the player experi-
ence, but we need to be realistic from a regulatory point of view. Expanding the number of POS’s,
making lottery products available in more channels and venues, is a strategy that delivers short-
term, long-term, and predictable results. Bars, taverns, and other age-restricted venues are under-
penetrated channels for Lottery. The potential for Lottery to increase sales by focusing on these
non-traditional channels, and otherwise expanding its POS footprint, is significant.
Terry Rich: Here are several observations, some of which lotteries are already using, some of
which are interesting possibilities. Purchasing tickets with a barcode app is a convenience for cus-
tomers that we’ve been utilizing for three or four years. Convenience is such a huge factor in lottery
purchases, it’s an ongoing priority for all of us in our planning.
Instant loyalty points, ticket self-checkers and cross-use of loyalty points is a new concept that
is being tried. Paperless tickets using NFC’s (Near Field Communication) have been mentioned.
Grocery IQ is an app that suggests purchases and gives you retail deals. An augmented reality
point-of-sale system could enable the shopper to see the tickets pop up in ways that are entertain-
ing and attention-getting. As you point to the ticket, it identifies new products and recommends
tickets to order, games to play. Facial recognition could become the password that would allow
the record of past purchases to be displayed on the monitor and your picture to be printed on the
ticket for easy I.D., instead of requiring customers to sign their tickets. An important project that
we’ve been fine-tuning is the technology to continuously update customers’ record of purchases. A
purchase is made, that information is transmitted to our server, posted to the record, the record of
past purchases is automatically updated, and the Lottery can provide real-time inventory manage-
ment data to its retailers. It also produces a retail purchase report of what else they’re buying, and
an immediate industry trends report to show what’s hot for the week.
Max Goldstein: Successful programs in Europe and Canada have shown that sales for lottery
in-lane sales are strong and growing, and that they are significantly increased when the jackpot is
displayed to the shopper. Digital play-stations add tremendous value. In fact, digital play-stations
can reshape the whole lottery playing experience by presenting Lottery in a way that appeals to the
RETAIL OPTIMIZATION:
THE IN-STORE PLAYER EXPERIENCE
How can in-store
technology be used to
turn the store visit into
an engaging consumer
experience, and turn the
buyer of a Lottery ticket
into a player of Lottery
games? How can new
technology-based innova-
tions like electronic play-
stations, in-lane sales,
self-serve kiosks, in-store
NFC-enabled internet and
WiFi, and other forms of
digitization engage the
consumer and drive in-
creased Lottery sales?
Moderator:
Rebecca Hargrove,
President &
Chief Executive Officer,
Tennessee Education
Lottery Corporation and
Senior Vice President
of the World Lottery
Association (WLA)
Panelists:
Max Goldstein,
Vice President Sales,
Carmanah Signs
Terry Rich,
Chief Executive Officer,
Iowa Lottery
Rick Weil,
Chief Executive Officer,
INNOVA Group/
Diamond Game
Bishop Woosley,
Executive Director,
Arkansas Lottery
Expanding the number of POS’s, making lottery products
available in more channels and venues, is a strategy that
delivers short-term, long-term, and predictable results.
—Rick Weil