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// Public Gaming International // March/April 2015
that the sustainable business model, especially
as it applies to traditional lottery, depends on
excellence in distribution and in creating the
overall consumer experience that enables the
players to enjoy the games—in other words,
the whole gaming ecosystem that surrounds
the actual game itself. Second, INTRALOT
is not a content creator company and never
will be. INTRALOT’s business is to design,
build, and implement the technologies that
make the games accessible to consumers. The
operator depends on us to fulfill that task. If
we do not make it happen, then the content
does not get delivered, the customer can’t pur-
chase the product, and the business ceases to
operate. That is a huge responsibility. That is
why we focus all of our resources and energies
on excelling at that one mission-critical area
of the business—making sure the content
gets delivered and the consumer derives value
from the overall experience. Fortunately, there
are countless providers of excellent content,
and you never know who will be coming up
with the next big thing tomorrow. When they
do, we are here to make sure it gets into the
hands of the consumer. Another way to think
of it is that in the future, great content will not
be proprietary. The competitive differentiator
will be the application of technology to cre-
ate the best overall consumer experience for a
broad portfolio of products.
An example of the gaming ecosystem is the
way that INTRALOT is bringing digital into
retail stores in an imaginative way. The cus-
tomer is not asking for that, the retailer is not
asking for that. But we know it will enhance
the whole player experience and that will ben-
efit both the consumer and the retailer. So you
have to have creativity, imagination, and vi-
sion to make this happen.
A. Kerastaris:
Technology is not an end
in itself. In fact, technology itself is not even
the differentiator. Companies like Bit8 are
inventing new technologies seemingly over-
night. These new technologies are making
current methods of operation obsolete. It’s
the application of technology, configuring
and applying it to add real value to the con-
sumer experience—that is the real differen-
tiator. Technology is just a means to an end.
INTRALOT didn’t invent NFC, Near Field
Communications. But you are applying it in
a way that is transforming the retail shop-
ping experience.
A. Kerastaris:
Exactly—that’s it. You
don’t need to be the inventor or owner of
the technology to be the user of the tech-
nology. Instead of dissipating our resources
on invention, INTRALOT channels all
its resources into improving the consumer
experience. Instead of trying to invent ev-
erything we sell, we focus on harnessing
the very best that is available. This is a true
“best-of-breed” model. A true commitment
to best-of-breed requires having the flexibil-
ity to apply the best technology regardless of
who invents or owns it.
Our R&D goes into the applied stage of
the process. We endeavor to understand the
big ideas of this world for what they are,
work with a broad variety of solution-pro-
viders, and forge win/win situations.
Broadening the
Portfolio of Gaming
Products
Speaking of best-practices, don’t we need to
benchmark against the very best practices as
they exist outside of our industry?
A. Kerastaris:
Our industry is unique in
some ways, and that has perhaps caused us
to look for solutions and success strategies
of others within our own industry because
they can be more easily and readily applied
to our own business. The problem is that
others in the broader category of gaming
and gambling are innovating at a much
faster rate than government-gaming. They
are recasting ideas that may have originated
outside of the gaming and lottery industries
to create whole new ways to capture the at-
tention and interest of the consumer.
You were Telecom
A. Kerastaris:
Like government-gaming,
Telecom perceived themselves to be unique.
They thought their business was driven by
technology and scale. Everything started to
change a few years ago, when they figured
out that it’s really all about the consumer.
Instead of assuming they knew what the cus-
tomer wanted and they just have deliver more
of that, they stepped back to ask basic ques-
tions and explore the habits of consumers,
how the customer uses the product, how the
products fit into the consumers’ lifestyles, and
ultimately how the product enhances their
lives. The Telecom companies which adapted
quickly are doing well. Those that did not act
so quickly, are not doing so well. The thing
is, by the time the changes become apparent
in the market-place, it is often too late for the
slow-responders to catch up to the market-
leaders. And when that happens, the market-
leaders then have the additional advantage
of being change and innovation oriented, so
the usually continue to distance themselves
even further from the second-tier players. The
positive thing for Lottery is that much of the
cost and risk associated with innovation has
already been incurred by others. All we need
to do is apply some imagination to see how
the solutions and success strategies that have
been applied to such great effect outside of our
industry can be transposed to our own.
Regardless of whether the benchmarks are
within or outside of our industry, we need to
take into consideration all the factors that do
make each situation unique. Every market-
place, every gaming culture, every regulatory
environment, and countless other factors are
unique to each individual business. We do
need to always be clear on the specific nature
of our own business when it comes to rei-
maging how success strategies of others can
inform our own approach to the business.
The online world is reshaping the market-
place. How can government-gaming adapt to
Antonis Kerastaris Interview …
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