Public Gaming International • July/August 2014
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needs; it is whether the effort will most ef-
fectively, efficiently and responsibly drive
sales and generate revenue for good causes.
I think the MUSL model provides the best
foundation for effectively pursuing new op-
portunities and new ideas and drive innova-
tion. There are so many things that MUSL
does for its members: its comprehensive
operation; the professionalism of its staff;
and the high quality, thorough information,
research and game concepts that they pro-
vide. Taken together, it was a compelling
value proposition for the Maryland Lottery
to pursue membership, and we look forward
to being a beneficiary of these services and
contributing where we can.
MUSL is an innovation and game-produc-
ing machine, constantly proposing new ideas
and game concepts, most of them getting
shot down or sent back to the drawing board.
But that’s the way true innovation happens.
The thing is, it takes time and the concerted
application of creativity generating process-
es, the kind of thing that MUSL does so well.
They have the resources to generate count-
less ideas for the members to assess and fig-
ure out which are the best to develop.
S. Martino:
I agree. MUSL has the in-
frastructure, resources and knowledge to fa-
cilitate the development of multi-state games
on the casino side of the business as well
as the lottery side. In fact, the entire sphere
of multi-state gaming operations is one of
MUSL’s core competencies, and that’s defi-
nitely relevant to the casino side of our busi-
ness as well. We are actively looking at join-
ing MUSL’s MegaHits game group, which
would allow us to offer a multi-state progres-
sive jackpot slot machine. We would join
fellow MUSL member lotteries Delaware,
Rhode Island and West Virginia. The casinos
that we regulate are intrigued by the possibil-
ity of this option. It is yet another example
of MUSL providing compelling game op-
tions to generate sales responsibly that will
increase revenue for good causes. MUSL’s
work on the traditional lottery side speaks
for itself. We’re excited about Monopoly
Millionaires’ Club and what that can mean
to our state, our players and the financial
bottom line. These constitute a couple of the
reasons why the proposal to join MUSL was
unanimously approved by our commission.
Where do we go from here? Will other
Mega Millions state lotteries join MUSL?
S. Martino:
It is not for me to say what
other states will do or what they should do.
But I think, hopefully and aspirationally,
that the industry can get its head around the
notion of merging the two groups and hav-
ing one governing structure for everything
we do. That doesn’t mean that any game
goes away. Mega Millions and Powerball
are two incredibly powerful brands. And
now, the Monopoly Millionaires’ Club has
tremendous promise. As a community of
lottery operators, we need to work togeth-
er to manage these tent-pole products as a
compelling product category for optimal
overall success. Just think of how much
more effective it would be if everyone came
together around a common table just like
we do at the NASPL meetings. MUSL has
active committees and management groups
for the games it offers. The MUSL structure
enables the various tasks and game man-
agement activities to be coordinated effec-
tively and focused to deliver the results the
lottery industry needs.
Some Mega directors might protest that
the Mega Millions and Powerball direc-
tors do work together to chart a course to
optimize performance of the two games,
and that the relationship is productive and
works well. Still, wouldn’t the results be
better if the two groups were collapsed into
one group that includes all the lotteries and
manages both games?
S. Martino:
The directors from both
groups do work well together. But because
they represent two separate sets of constitu-
ent lotteries, the entire industry operates in
a cumbersome and inefficient system. The
fact that there are many shared objectives
does not change the fact that they are two
separate organizations with two separate
memberships. It is challenging enough to
create consensus among 44 lotteries. Our
industry faces more than enough obstacles
to progress and innovation as it is. Many of
those obstacles are not of our making, and
we have no control over them. They are
inherent to lotteries operating within gov-
ernment; our ability to be nimble already
is comprised. So, the least we can do is re-
move those inefficiencies that we do have
control over. And I would put governance at
the top of that list.
Just as with other lotteries, the mission of
the Maryland Lottery is to maximize revenue
in a responsible way for our in-state benefi-
ciary. In Maryland, that is the state’s general
fund. In other states, it may be public educa-
tion, higher education scholarships or to sup-
port senior citizens. Inmymind, workingwith
other states to develop national agendas to
promote the responsible sale of lottery prod-
ucts contributes in a vital way to that mission
of serving our stakeholders. MUSL provides
the means to make that inter-state cooperation
function as effectively as possible.
So you see that goal of optimizing re-
sults for your in-state constituents as be-
ing served by developing stronger national
programs, promotions, and brand develop-
ment strategies?
S. Martino:
I do think it should be a
priority – where possible, practical and af-
fordable – to develop a more nationalized
approach to marketing the national games.
Monopoly is a broadly popular game in the
United States. Its appeal stretches across
geographical markets and demographic
profiles. Advertising still needs to be con-
trolled by the states, but some of the pro-
duction costs will be offset by creating
templates that could be used in all markets.
And that hopefully will contribute to a
commonality to the brand image as people
travel throughout the country or are other-
wise exposed to multiple media markets
and messages. So, to your question, I think
that building a national presence and brand
image is an important part of the plan for
Monopoly Millionaires’ Club.
How vital is the television game show as-
pect of Monopoly Millionaires’ Club?
S. Martino:
I think it is a compelling
selling point of the game. This industry
needs fresh approaches to add to the tra-
ditional lottery concept and the traditional
ways of promoting lottery products. Mo-
nopoly Millionaires’ Club has components
that are quite different from Powerball and
Mega Millions that will appeal, we hope, to
new players. We can all do a better job of at-
tracting people who don’t currently play the
lottery. Accomplishing that is one of the pri-
mary objectives of Monopoly Millionaires’
Club and the TV game show.
Success is never guaranteed. But con-
siderable thought and consideration has
been put into all the elements of this, which
makes us excited about the possibilities and
confident that it will contribute to our sales
in fiscal year 2015, which runs until June 30
of next year.
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