Public Gaming Magazine September-October 2016

September/October 2016 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL //

and games to deliver a compelling player

experience while still complying with internet

wagering constraints. Our PlaySpot on-

premise solution, which we hope to deploy

later this year, will allow players to use their

mobile phones to play lottery games on

their own terms, without having to access

the internet. We are also actively engaged in

a pilot for proximity marketing that uses an

existing lottery app and beacons placed at

lottery retailers to deliver targeted messaging

and offers (lottery and retail partners) to

consumers, and we look forward to sharing

some of what we have learned there once we

have been operational long enough to gather

some meaningful data.

What were the biggest milestones

and developments of the past year?

M. Tasso:

One of the best examples of our

player-first thinking this year is the Gemini

Touch. We turned our understanding of the

shoppers’ need for convenience, simplicity,

and interactivity into an immersive self-

service vending experience featuring a

high-definition, 42-inch touch monitor. Both

players and non-players are attracted to the

dynamic graphics and large touch screen

that displays up to 28 instant games and a full

complement of draw-based games. Plus, the

device is easier for our retailers to use. The

Dynamic Planogram functionality can modify

the display in real-time to react to fluctuations

in demand, inventory, or market conditions.

P. Riley:

Powerball was of course huge in so

many ways. Operationally, the team and the

systems delivered. More than 234,000 rolls of

paper were used; that’s enough to go around

the world 1.5 times. More than 15.5 million

playslips were produced, and our 185,000

terminals functioned at 99.9% uptime. From

an awareness perspective, the media hype

surrounding the record jackpot was priceless.

The key question is how do we parlay that

interest into engaging new players on a repeat

basis. Monumental events like this provide

opportunities to engage more consumers

and expand the player base, particularly with

something like the mobile apps which we just

discussed. The jackpot was also a great value

to retailers. Retailers had to acknowledge the

history-making lift in traffic and ancillary sales

that the jackpot drove.

What trends are you seeing in the

world of gaming and lottery?

P. Riley:

There’s a lot of interest in cashless,

which is good because so many of our

consumers are embracing cashless, BUT

it is not a trivial topic due to regulatory

considerations, technology aspects, and last,

but not least, economic implications. We are

doing a pilot in conjunction with our customer,

the Georgia Lottery Corporation, and are

collecting data on usage and transactions to

support better insights into the benefits and

challenges concerning this topic.

How do you stay current on what

players and retailers respond to?

M. Tasso:

Our LotteryManagement Services

group continues to be the incubator for profit-

driving strategies and tactics. Lottomatica

remains the standard for lottery growth

around the world with more than $16 billion

in annual sales. The IGT Indiana and Hoosier

Lottery teams also provide a great example

of the synergies that develop when you have

a solid portfolio of games working along-side

business intelligence tools such as Aurora

OnePlace to track progress. We’ve increased

average facings from 24 to 30, placed more

than 5,800 on-counter towers, and installed

more than 1,100 Aurora MultiMedia and

mini-jackpot signs. The Hoosier Lottery

achieved record growth while maintaining a

commitment to corporate social responsibility

and achieving WLA Level 4 Certification.

What are you most excited about for

the year ahead?

M. Tasso:

Our business intelligence tools,

which are already the best in the industry,

keep getting stronger. Our BI tools create

actionable insights that empower quicker,

more effective decision-making. For

example, the Retail Marketing Insight (RMI)

platform is now capturing data from 21 U.S.

lotteries to provide visual comparisons across

retail chains and jurisdictions. Aurora

Performance Intel is using state-of-the-art

analytics to turn mountains of data into real-

time strategies and tactics. Plus, with the

acquisition of Hudson Alley, we have paired

OnePlace with Aurora

Retailer Wizard to

provide Lottery Representatives and their

retailers with the real-time data they need to

efficiently manage and successfully grow their

businesses. All of these tools work together

to empower lotteries with a consistent and

insightful view of their businesses.

P. Riley:

NASPL has signed a declaration

to move forward with establishing a lottery

standard API (Application Program Interface)

that could provide significant benefit to the

industry in cost effectively increasing lottery

into under-penetrated or non-penetrated

retailers. The initiative is about setting up a

standard way for retailers to communicate

with lottery transaction processing vendors

in a uniform manner that more aligns with

the way in which they sell many of their other

goods. If we penetrate more retailers and

tradestyles and very importantly – offer our

products in the multi-lane environments – we

have a chance to engage far more consumers

and increase awareness of the lottery brand

and the good causes lotteries support.

To learn more about IGT’s plans for 2017

and beyond, visit their booth at NASPL 2016

in Atlanta.

Paul Riley, Vice President of Innovation

and games to deliver a compelling player

experience while still complying with internet

wagering constraints. Our PlaySpot on-

premise solution, which we hope to deploy

later this year, will allow players to use their

mobile phones to play lottery games on

their own terms, without having to access

the internet. We are also actively engaged in

a pilot for proximity marketing that uses an

existing lottery app and beacons placed at

lottery retailers to deliver targeted messaging

and offers (lottery and retail partners) to

consumers, and we look forward to sharing

some of what we have learned there once we

have been operational long enough to gather

some meaningful data.

What were the biggest milestones

and developments of the past year?

M. Tasso:

One of the best examples of our

player-first thinking this year is the Gemini

Touch. We turned our understanding of the

shoppers’ need for convenience, simplicity,

and interactivity into an immersive self-

service vending experience featuring a

high-definition, 42-inch touch monitor. Both

players and non-players are attracted to the

dynamic graphics and large touch screen

that displays up to 28 instant games and a full

complement of draw-based games. Plus, the

device is easier for our retailers to use. The

Dynamic Planogram functionality can modify

the display in real-ti e to react to fluctuations

in demand, inventory, or market conditions.

P. Riley:

Powerball was of course huge in so

many ways. Operationally, the team and the

systems delivered. More than 234,000 rolls of

paper were used; that’s enough to go around

the world 1.5 times. More than 15.5 million

playslips were produced, and our 185,000

terminals functioned at 99.9% uptime. From

an awareness perspective, the media hype

surrounding the record jackpot was priceless.

The key question is how do we parlay that

interest into engaging new players on a repeat

basis. Monumental events like this provide

opportunities to engage more consumers

and expand the player base, particularly with

something like the mobile apps which we just

discussed. The jackpot was also a great value

to retailers. Retailers had to acknowledge the

history-making lift in traffic and ancillary sales

that the jackpot drove.

What trends are you seeing in the

world of gaming and lottery?

P. Riley:

There’s a lot of interest in cashless,

which is good because so many of our

consumers are embracing cashless, BUT

it is not a trivial topic due to regulatory

considerations, technology aspects, and last,

but not least, economic implications. We are

doing a pilot in conjunction with our customer,

the Georgia Lottery Corporation, and are

collecting data on usage and transactions to

support better insights into the benefits and

challenges concerning this topic.

How do you stay current on what

players and retailers respond to?

M. Tasso:

Our LotteryManagement Services

group continues to be the incubator for profit-

driving strategies and tactics. Lottomatica

remains the standard for lottery growth

around the world with more than $16 billion

in annual sales. The IGT Indiana and Hoosier

Lottery teams also provide a great example

of the synergies that develop when you have

a solid portfolio of games working along-side

business intelligence tools such as Aurora

OnePlace to track progress. We’ve increased

average facings from 24 to 30, placed more

than 5,800 on-counter towers, and installed

more than 1,100 Aurora MultiMedia and

mini-jackpot signs. The Hoosier Lottery

achieved record growth while maintaining a

commitment to corporate social responsibility

and achieving WLA Level 4 Certification.

What are you most excited about for

the year ahead?

M. Tasso:

Our business intelligence tools,

which are already the best in the industry,

keep getting stronger. Our BI tools create

actionable insights that empower quicker,

more effective decision-making. For

example, the Retail Marketing Insight (RMI)

platform is now capturing data from 21 U.S.

lotteries to provide visual comparisons across

retail chains and jurisdictions. Aurora

Performance Intel is using state-of-the-art

analytics to turn mountains of data into real-

time strategies and tactics. Plus, with the

acquisition of Hudson Alley, we have paired

OnePlace with Aurora

Retailer Wizard to

provide Lottery Representatives and their

retailers with the real-time data they need to

efficiently manage and successfully grow their

businesses. All of these tools work together

to empower lotteries with a consistent and

insightful view of their businesses.

P. Riley:

NASPL has signed a declaration

to move forward with establishing a lottery

standard API (Application Program Interface)

that could provide significant benefit to the

industry in cost effectively increasing lottery

into under-penetrated or non-penetrated

retailers. The initiative is about setting up a

standard way for retailers to communicate

with lottery transaction processing vendors

in a uniform manner that more aligns with

the way in which they sell many of their other

goods. If we penetrate more retailers and

tradestyles and very importantly – offer our

products in the multi-lane environments – we

have a chance to engage far more consumers

and increase awareness of the lottery brand

and the good causes lotteries support.

To learn more about IGT’s plans for 2017

and beyond, visit their booth at NASPL 2016

in Atlanta.

Paul Riley, Vice President of Innovation