24 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 As the panel moderator, Sarah Taylor, the Executive Director of the Hoosier Lottery in Indiana, noted in her opening remarks, “We might not all align perfectly in terms of the products that we offer and policies that we operate under, but objectives do align on our support of good causes, and so we have much to learn from each other.” The international panelists offered important insights into the major issues facing the worldwide lottery industry on topics ranging from the challenges of illegal operators to changes in the political climate and attitudes toward games-of-chance and the emergence of different operational and regulatory models in our industry. In addition to Sarah, the esteemed speakers on the panel were: Younes El Mechrafi, Chief Executive Officer, la Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports (MDJS) Andreas Kötter, Managing Director, WestLotto (Germany) and Chair of EuroJackpot Callum Mulvihill, Chief Commercial Officer, The Lottery Corporation (Australia) Rebecca Paul, Chief Executive Officer, Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. and President of the World Lottery Association Younes El Mechrafi began the discussion by highlighting the good work that the Moroccan lottery had done in the wake of the country’s devastating earthquake this year. Nevertheless, despite the positive contributions made by lotteries across Africa and the inter-country collaboration facilitated by the African Lottery Association, Morocco and other African nations still face major challenges from what Younes described as “the cancer of illegal betting.” He explained, “On November 7, Morocco will host a meeting of the Copenhagen Group, which is an association of national platforms struggling against illegal lotteries. The Copenhagen Group is under the umbrella of the Council of Europe which created the Macolin Convention: a unique legal instrument for fighting illegal betting and protecting the integrity of sports.” Younes also highlighted how illegal operators that had been shut down in Europe have now moved into African markets, illustrating how such problems can spread into new jurisdictions that may have thought they were protected and emphasizing the importance of collaboration to combat such challenges. Thanks to Australia’s position within the Asia Pacific Lottery Association, Callum Mulvihill was able to share insights A Global Games-of-Chance Industry in Flux P A N E L D I S C U S S I O N Lottery companies around the world operate in highly diverse local markets, but there is still much that they can learn from each other about common challenges and solutions. That was the theme of the international panel discussion that brought together senior lottery executives from four continents at the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) Annual Conference in October 2023. Rebecca Paul Callum Mulvihill Andreas Kötter Younes El Mechrafi Sarah Taylor
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