Rhydian Fisher talks about using IWGs experience strategically to become more than just a games supplier to our partners.

Over the last year several lotteries have successfully launched their products online. Strategically it’s a challenge that all lotteries face in order to appeal to a player base that is spending an increasing amount of time online, especially on mobile. It’s also widely accepted that if lotteries are going to successfully appeal to the elusive younger audience then a well thought out digital strategy is key. IWG have been involved in numerous online launches over the last year, from Norsk Tipping in Norway to Georgia and Minnesota in the U.S. and most recently with Loto Quebec in Canada. All of them presented a unique set of challenges but through positive collaboration and the sharing of experience all of these lotteries have launched and are now seeing income generated by online sales.

Most online platforms have the capability of delivering mobile content to players and the majority of lotteries who launched recently have included mobile as part of their portfolio. Those who have launched mobile have immediately seen the benefit of doing so but the road to making draw and instant games available on an ever-increasing list of mobile devices is littered with mistakes made and lessons learned. The learning curve is steep and when errors made can directly impact sales it really doesn't make sense to take chances. 

The process of integrating games onto a new platform and all that an online launch involves can divert attention away from the equally important job of running what is essentially an ecommerce solution on a lottery website. Launching a portfolio of online, instant win games provides all developers, platforms and lotteries with a significant technical challenge but this shouldn't detract from the very real business of selling a new product to a consumer. When working with lotteries to define how best to launch their products we always discuss in detail the optimal mix of games, the right blend and mix of prize structures, price points and jackpots and the right time to launch new titles, but increasingly we are consulting on the following:

• How to drive traffic to your products with appropriate promotions and advertising and engaging with registered players through email marketing and CRM.
• How best to segment your player base and direct them to the right products on your desktop and mobile sites.
• How to implement all the learnings from ecommerce to cross sell products online, track player activity, deliver contextual links and product offerings.

This is typical of the type of conversation we are now having with lotteries like Loto-Québec who we are working closely with on their new platform. With Loto-Québec opting to build their own online solution we were given the chance to develop a partnership that spans many aspects of launching and running an online platform, especially the mobile offering which launched alongside desktop in February after a period of very rapid development. IWG were able to share our significant experience with HTML5 and mobile to make sure that Loto-Québec could hit their target of a dual launch. With that done we are now focusing on how best to help grow the audience by helping to analyze sales data and player behavior.

“Loto-Québec is very pleased to have benefited from IWG’s games but moreover in their strategic input in launching our new online Experience game category.  With their expertise and extended portfolio, we were able to offer games playable on mobile, tablet and PC. This key element is important to us to maximise the reach and stay relevant to our players.”

Clément Aubin

Head of Internet Lotteries Loto-Québec

 One of the driving forces behind the success of ecommerce with any consumer product is the ability to have access to key data and analytics that allow you to assess the performance of products and adjust and optimize how they are presented. In most places where we work our lottery customers are sharing with us sales data and detailed analytics that tells us who is playing, how often and when and this is a big advantage, not just in terms of developing the product roadmap but also in how to advertise target players through promotion and advertising.

With every launch we have been involved in it has become clear that the really hard work begins when the games go live. This is why we aim to develop partnerships with every lottery we work with and are shifting the focus of what we do from game supplier to a strategic partner. The openness of the lottery industry allows us to share our experience and understanding with the wider lottery community and we firmly believe that everyone, especially the players, will benefit.