Public Gaming International May/June 2020

68 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MAY/JUNE 2020 S ince the dawn of time people have been drawn to games of chance. Examples can be found in ancient China, the Roman Empire and in the Bible. Modern Lottery games present endless life-changing possibilities and appeal to the biggest mass market of recreational gamers. In the past, incremental change has driven slow but steady growth for decades. But in this time of dynamic change, innovation, and explosion of new consumer options, can the market continue to rely on incremental change? Has the recent pandemic been a catalyst to accelerate adoption of new ways to entertain and engage players? We think so. Player expectations are increasing. New technologies need to be employed to deliver a new experience. Many players still like existing lottery games. Players love the opportunity to pay a couple of dollars to create anticipation and the possibility of winning a big prize. Players even love the simplicity of the games. But, sadly, the gaming industry is being eclipsed by technological change. New games in the existing paradigms are not enough. We need to transform the player experience to align with the sensibilities, the lifestyles, and the social landscape of the modern consumer that is now dominated by the digital user-interface. To do this we must change the delivery method to accommodate new product ideas, Players want the user-interface to be part of their lifestyle. Every day, your players are connecting, socializing and being informed on digital platforms. So why not o er this option in your games? ere are limitations to the paper and ticket-based traditional lottery games - they are incapable of providing the content that is available on a smartphone or tablet. Technology providers have invested billions of dollars on smartphone and tablets. Why not take advantage of technologies that are already integrated into the lives of millions of players? Pilot Games transformed the activity of purchasing a charitable game ticket, playing bingo, purchasing a lottery ticket or sitting in front of a VLT, into a tablet-based social game that appeals to the current generation of consumers. If there is a “Next Big ing” in Lottery and Charitable gaming it is adding the social component to the product mix. is is the value proposition of Pilot Games. Operating in over 1,400 bars, civic clubs and veteran's organizations in Minnesota, Pilot Games o ers central server based electronic pull tab and bingo games played on site-based mobile tablets. In the last 5 years, Pilot Games' electronic pull tabs and wide area progressive linked bingo games have grown to over $1 billion in annual sales, increasing by over 50% in 2019. e growth is attributed not only to an increasing number of participating sites but also to a consistent organic growth in the play at each existing site. ADAPTING TRADITIONAL LOTTERY IN A SOCIAL GAMING WORLD Jon Weaver, Chief Executive Officer Pilot Games, Inc.