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// PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL // July/August 2016
There is no escaping the fact that we are living in a digital
world, as consumers with busy lives we want convenience and
the ability to buy what we want, when we want. But does this
world need to be black and white? All or nothing? Online/of-
fline? or can we as an industry embrace the fact that there really
are
fifty shades of digital
?
We do not underestimate the challenge of going fully digital,
legislators, retailers and lobby groups are all ready to express
their objections and concerns, but is there a happy medium that
everyone can agree on? For the sake of our industry, and the
beneficiaries we support, we believe there has to be.
We believe that there are
fifty shades of digital
, and even with
the constraints that some states and countries face there are still
digital elements that they can embrace. Re-evaluating your ad-
vertising spend and putting more money behind digital chan-
nels is a quick win that all lotteries can easily make. Using social
media is also a low hanging fruit that can be used - this is also
a great way for lotteries to broaden their reach and engage the
younger, harder to reach player.
Executing a mobile led strategy which bridges the gap between
online and in-store is also a quick win. Ticket scanning, mobile
results checking, store locators, and ibeacon messaging…. these
are all digitally hosted features you can offer players without any
transaction happening in digital.
Once you have begun to develop your digital presence, you
can continue to evolve and develop the offering, introducing
enhanced content with digital second chance games. This not
only gives players the opportunity to interact with your lottery
and to play exciting games, it also gives you the opportunity to
develop a personal relationship with your players. And, in time,
you can use this digital presence to demonstrate that the digital
lottery world is not something to fear—it is a necessary evolu-
tion which can be well managed to ensure your lottery is able to
achieve sustainable growth in a responsible way.
There are a number of lotteries in North America who are
dipping their toes into the digital world. In Vermont the lottery
has been looking into digital second chance games and extended
online game options. In Iowa the lottery has an established a
VIP Club which allows players to enter second-chance draws by
entering non-winning tickets into their VIP Club accounts on-
line, allowing them to build up and enhance relationships with
their most loyal customers.
In Europe, Loterie Romande has recently launched a new
Sports App which benefits both players and retailers in Switzer-
land, and represents a true ‘digital in retail’ experience for users.
SportTip One and SportTip Set App users are now able to check
results and get more frequent and up to date programme infor-
mation, but more importantly are able to create their wagers on
Fifty
Shades
of Digital
Duncan Malyon
Senior Vice President North America
Camelot Global