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According to Marty McFly
and Dr. Emmett Brown from
the 1989 American cult
classic film
Back to the
Future Part II
, it’s 2015 and
we are officially in the
“future”. From flying drones,
biometric devices, hand-free
gaming consoles, video
phones and cars that use
alternative fuel, the movie speculated on what 2015
was going to look like, and it was not far off. We have
come a long way in almost 30 years. Computing has
been at the heart of this impressive growth. And now
it’s time to apply that power to transform the player
experience of the Jackpot Lotto games.
One thing that has managed to stay the same since
1985 is the way we play the state and national Lottos.
The jackpot rolls over to progressively larger amounts
until somebody wins it. The players know they are not
likely to win the jackpot. But they enjoy playing
anyway and sales have increased
every year since the first ticket was
sold back in 1988. Until last year.
Last year was the first ever decline of
YoY sales for Powerball. And it was
not a slight dip that could be chalked
up to some aberration in the market-
place or economy. Powerball sales
declined by 19%. The decline has
continued in 2015 – sales are down by 40% in the
first half of FY15 compared to the first half of
FY14. Mega Millions has not fared much better.
The amazing thing about this picture isn’t that the
lotto games are struggling to maintain sales
growth. The amazing thing is that the lotto games
stayed relevant and popular for s many years with
practically no change to the product, marketing, or
distribution! The odds matrix may change, the
price for the Powerball ticket may go from $1 to
$2. But other than that, the consumer is playing
the exact same game they played almost thirty
years ago. That kind of a product life-cycle is
totally unique in the modern age of consumer
markets - And was bound to require a refresh at
some point, and it would appear that point has
finally arrived.
There could be any number of reasons for the
market pressure on the Jackpot games. One of the
reasons, though, would certainly be the basic
value proposition, i.e. the likelihood of winning.
Driving Growth in Jackpot Lotto:
Powerpool
Changes the Game
By Kaisa Kivilaid, Edwardian Publishing, LLC.