iGB North America magazine IGBNA Aug/Sep | Page 30

Lottery Focus 2015

UNIFYING THE GAME
EXPERIENCE WITH CONTENT
Michael Lightman, Senior VP, Lottery Interactive Products at Scientific Games,
on how their player segmentation study is supporting innovation.
Lottery games once neatly fell into one of
two distinct categories: draw and instants.
Today, product categories overlap as they
evolve to deliver entertainment across multiple
channels to extend the player experience.
An instant game that begins with traditional
scratch now unlocks an interactive bonus
game that rewards players with entries into a
weekly drawing. A draw game that starts with
picking numbers against a weekly jackpot
prize now includes a companion interactive
collection game with instant cash prizes.
At Scientific Games, we’re using the findings
from our recent cross-jurisdictional, motivationbased player segmentation study to innovate
new games that engage players in an increasing
variety of ways. This industry-first, $1m
investment in a unique study of lottery and
gaming players supports our coordination of
game themes and mechanics that can unify the
experience across a lottery’s product portfolio.
And for today’s consumer, who enjoys a variety
of entertainment across multiple channels and
is more willing to experiment with new forms
of gaming than prior generations, commonality
of content offers unity in a world of choice.
For example, an instant lottery game created
around one of our popular Warner Bros.
Consumer Products licensed properties, THE
WIZARD OF OZ™, features a corresponding
interactive game that increases chances to
win while building greater continuity across
the portfolio. And a corresponding slot game
version delivers even greater brand recognition,
driving a deeper sense of connection through a
coordinated player experience.
This unification can also connect with a
broader player base. Players of our popular

social games like Jackpot Party® Casino can
equally enjoy a companion instant game and
win virtual rewards that are only available by
engaging in both game formats. Consumer
interest can have origins in retail, online or at
a casino, then naturally connect to the same
game or other games across all channels.

Cashing in on cross-over
What we’ve learned from our player
segmentation study is that players have
preferences, and these preferences overlap
and cross between entertainment choices. This
means there is ample opportunity to extend the
player experience by coordinating themes and
mechanics across the product portfolio, always
with an eye toward reaching players from other
gaming entertainment channels.
A good example of this is our highly
successful Gold Fish® game, which began
as a popular land-based slot machine title.
Releasing this as an iGaming title was a
natural progression. More recently, Gold Fish
launched with immediate success as a social
game as consumers, many of whom where
familiar with this iconic brand, were drawn to
our free Facebook, iOS and Android versions.
Now, our lottery customers are offered an
instant game based on the same Gold Fish
theme, complete with a companion 2nd
Chance interactive game. This can translate
into a superior performer because of its deep
roots across the gaming player base.
Similar opportunities exist in the iLottery
world. When the Minnesota State Lottery
launched eInstant games in 2014, their very
first title was Spicy 7s, one of their mainstay
printed instant game titles. Spicy 7s became

30 | iGamingBusiness North America | Issue 20 | August/September 2015

A lottery instant game created around THE WIZARD OF OZ™,
one of Scientific Games’ popular licensed properties from
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, features a corresponding
interactive game that increases chances to win while building
player engagement across the portfolio.
THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and
© Turner Entertainment Co. Judy Garland as Dorothy from THE WIZARD OF OZ.

simultaneously available in web and printed
formats, and eventually went on to become a
top performer across both channels.

Building upon opportunities
Our segmentation study tells us that as we
create games in the future, we must take into
account all forms of gaming and innovate
more broadly across all distribution channels.
Delivering more value to the consumer in the
form of coordinated theme-based offerings
will result in stronger player engagement,
increasing connection across an entire
spectrum of products. The key is to build upon a
history of appealing, loyalty-driven content that
is proven successful across a broad portfolio.
THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and
elements are trademarks of and © Turner Entertainment
Co. Judy Garland as Dorothy from THE WIZARD OF OZ.