As the SBC Digital Summit reached its midway point, Steen Madsen, CEO at A Game Above, led a discussion on the importance of mobile to the lottery sector with Jari Vähänen one of those urging lotteries to embrace digital.
Vähänen, Partner of Finnish Gambling Consultants, said: “I hope that lotteries will realise that they have to digitise their businesses more than they have done until now.
“I think lotteries have been afraid of changing anything because it has been such a profitable business. I believe there are lots of opportunities available to make the offer more digital and more personalised, presenting both a better service for existing customers and the opportunity to acquire new ones.
“Lottery is not modern enough, processes are too slow,” continued Vähänen. “There is a risk that lottery companies will drop away from their competition in the gaming sector – indeed some haven’t even realised that they face competition.”
Stuart Godfree, Managing Director at Mkodo, concurred. He told delegates: “Historically, the general lottery product today hasn’t radically changed. They’re still playing to an ageing audience – they’re not building lottery games that appeal to generations x and y. We’re not building games that engage with people on mobile.
“COVID-19 has made a lot of organisations that don’t have an online presence realise they must have multiple supply chains and alternative revenue opportunities,” added Godfree. “It has shown us we are in a different world.”
Madsen quizzed the panel on how lotteries can better prioritise mobile, not just in the current situation but as something that is constantly on the agenda for lottery businesses.
Chris Armes, Chief Information Officer at GiG, responded: “The lotteries need to react faster, change and evolve quicker. Data is key in all this. The lotteries have got to start to find differentiators in the digital world.
“Data collection during gameplay – using the handset engagement – can, within regulatory constraints, begin to offer real differentiation. It is an overused phrase but lottery needs a digital transformation,” said Armes.
“Most lotteries don’t have to work very hard to maintain a baseline revenue. There’s no pressure on them to innovate and if you don’t feel the need to innovate, you won’t. What they are starting to realise is that you can’t sit still. Even if you’re a market leader and comfortable.”
Godfree: “Since the pandemic began, lottery organisations have been asking how they can get online ‘yesterday’. They have been passionate about the retail side of the business, yes, but the fact they haven’t focused on the digital and online aspects of the sector is why they are seeing 60-70 per cent fall in revenues during COVID.”
Delivered in partnership with GLMS, the GiG-sponsored session formed a key part of the Summit’s Lottery Day, a track sponsored by Golden Race.
The SBC Digital Summit is a groundbreaking online event for the betting and gaming industry, offering up to 10,000 delegates a virtual, interactive conference, exhibition and networking experience.
With global business communities in the grip of the COVID-19 crisis, the Summit was created as a platform for the industry to connect and share knowledge amid critical and unprecedented conditions.It takes place all this week, up to and including Friday May 1.
The SBC Digital Summit runs from 27 April to 1 May 2020 and features seven conference tracks, a virtual exhibition and virtual networking lounges, attracting an estimated 10,000 delegates logging in from around the world.
There is still time to register for the event, with company discounts available: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-digital-summit/tickets/
