Industry News
Lottery is more than ‘just the ticket’ as Spinola experience demonstrates
Spinola Gaming, the leading Malta-based lottery content provider is on a mission to stop what it sees as a ‘race to the bottom’. Head of Product, Isabella Rae-Banda explains how the lottery experience is being used to recruit and retain players in what is a commercially promiscuous online world.
Online operators are now starting to realize the true potential of lotteries and now see this as the “Fourth Pillar of Gaming” – can you explain this?
It’s probably best to start with some facts. Lotteries account for some 36 percent of the global gaming market and represent one of the industry’s biggest revenue generators. Most lottery participants view their spend as entertainment rather than gambling and the overwhelming majority have never visited a casino or participated in an online sportsbook. Lotteries offer jackpots which people dream about winning in the process creating a positive narrative and with that comes oceans of human interest driven media coverage. Our approach at Spinola Gaming is to harness these invaluable characteristics and offer online casino and sportsbook operators the opportunity to integrate a global selection of fully insured lotteries from around the world as part of their overall offering. It’s a recognition that lottery works best when operators take a holistic view of what they can provide in terms of gambling entertainment and lottery is a fundamental part of that fantastic shop window.
How would you summarise the commercial opportunities for online operators?
Lottery is a simple game that can be used in a highly sophisticated way to build the bottom line. The vast majority of online operators are, perhaps unwittingly, participating in a race to the bottom. The practice among casinos of offering bonuses or free spins has transitioned from being a sales tool to a culture of permanent offers and deals which destroy margins and have created a churn of promiscuous ‘customers’ with zero brand loyalty. By incorporating lottery as a side game operators extend an invitation to participate in something that provides an opportunity to follow a dream and win life changing prizes. When you are competing for traffic you need a ‘stand out’ and lottery is exactly that. Furthermore, it serves to attract a new customer and with that the opportunity to cross sell across a number of integrated verticals. Brands can move from attempting to out shout each other to having a conversation with customers and keeping them connected with the brand. It’s about broadening horizons, offering something different and transitioning players into customers.
What does Spinola bring to the debate?
In physical terms we can offer operators the choice of 72 lotteries from almost all global markets including the biggest European and US lotteries (which is the most comprehensive lottery offering on the market) and the chance to customise games to complement brand values, colour ways and imagery. The model is based on a fully insured, risk free solution and operators can be up and running with Spinola within a month – two weeks for the technical side and two weeks for customisation. We provide all of the tools and all of the insight necessary to make the offering work to maximum effect which includes access to our in-house marketing team to help create and implement campaigns. It’s a fully managed solution which does not cannibalise income from one vertical to another and it’s risk free, meaning operators do not have the burden of payouts on any winnings.
Can the lottery experience engage with Generation Z – if so how?
There’s no doubt that the lottery sector suffers from a range of misperceptions one of which is its association with baby boomers. The online experience is a perfect fit for consumers who are tech savvy and who could be described as mobile first. Generation Z finds bricks and mortar gaming an irrelevance but offer a technology driven experience which is different, which is part of an integrated experiential offering and which provides the opportunity to win life changing jackpots and there’s a great opportunity to engage with a new demographic. They might be playing on the bus home but they are dreaming of a work free lifestyle and driving a Bentley Continental.
What plans does the company have for 2019?
We have spent the past two and a half years building what we believe is the industry’s leading lottery solution by creating a fully managed and risk free range of lottery and jackpot products that integrates seamlessly with online operators, we have been successful in generating a sizeable amount of interest for the lottery vertical and in the process secured over 40 existing operators. We’ve established a critical mass and the year ahead will see that extend to over 100 live operators. It’s an ambitious target but one we are capable of achieving.
About Spinola
As a new entry to the global lottery market, Spinola Gaming has very quickly established itself as the leader of B2B Lottery Products and Jackpot Solutions now serving over 70 Global Lotteries to more than 100 Operators across the globe through one seamless integration. Spinola’s powerful and innovative lotto engine (Lotto Connex) provides online and state run lottery operators the ability to take advantage of a fully managed solution with the ability to create new lotteries, add lotto betting as a new vertical and offer Jackpots of up to €250m per draw.
Source: GB Media
Industry News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
Industry News
Kindred’s Share of Revenue from High-risk Players Shows Slight Increase
Kindred Group plc’s (Kindred) share of revenue from high-risk players showed a slight increase to 3.2% (Q4 2023 3.1%) in the first quarter of 2024. Compared to the first quarter of 2023, the high-risk revenue share decreased marginally. The percentage of detected customers who exhibited improved behaviour after interventions came in at 87.1% (compared to 87.4% in Q4 2023 and 83.0% in Q1 2023). This sustained trajectory in the improvement effect after interventions, observed over an extended period, serves as a testament to the strong dedication and collective efforts throughout the company. It reflects Kindred’s ongoing commitment to fostering positive change within the industry.
“We continue to see our share of revenue from high-risk players fluctuate quarter to quarter, and we are working closely with all teams across the company to support customers towards a more sustainable gambling experience. However, it is encouraging to see that our Journey towards Zero data has steadily decreased since 2020. A similar trend can be seen across the healthier gambling behaviour effect after interventions. This tells us two things: our work is paying off, but we need to continue to push ourselves to propel a sustainable progression,” Alexander Westrell, Director of Communications at Kindred Group, said.
“It was very encouraging to witness the open and transparent discussions at the Sustainable Gambling Conference in London on 20 March, where those with lived experience shared their important stories. Also, it is evident that technology is moving forward, and will provide greater opportunities to detect and intervene in the future. We hope to see more regulators engage with the industry and with experts to secure a more sustainable industry for everyone,” Alexander Westrell added.
Industry News
PENN Entertainment Names Aaron LaBerge as Chief Technology Officer
PENN Entertainment announced that Aaron LaBerge has been named Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective July 1, 2024, subject to customary regulatory approvals. Mr. LaBerge will report directly to PENN CEO & President Jay Snowden.
In his new role, Mr. LaBerge will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and execution for PENN, while leading the multinational team of technologists and serving as the key business leader for the company’s Interactive division.
Mr. LaBerge spent more than 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, in two stints separated by five and a half years as a technology entrepreneur. He was most recently President & Chief Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN where he was responsible for driving all technology and product development in support of The Walt Disney Company’s two media divisions. In that role, he helped set the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling and innovation, drive its business, and create unparalleled consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Aaron’s caliber join our PENN executive team. Having overseen a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, and data scientists that created some of the largest scale and most successful media properties in the world, there is no better candidate to lead our Technology and Interactive division into its future. I know Aaron is looking forward to working with Todd George, our head of operations, and our entire Executive Team to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports media,” Mr. Snowden said.
“I’m excited to join another talented team at PENN Interactive and lead our technology strategy. PENN Entertainment is at the forefront of the fast-changing gaming and sports media industry. I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN BET an essential piece of the sports fan experience. Together, we’ll push the limits and redefine how fans interact with sports and gaming,” Mr. LaBerge said.
Prior to his most recent role at the Walt Disney Company, Mr. LaBerge was Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at ESPN from 2015 to 2018. At ESPN he played an instrumental role in the growth of ESPN’s consumer-facing digital media products and services – leading many of ESPN’s most ambitious and challenging projects and helping establish ESPN’s position as the leader in digital sports and innovative sports technology development. He was a key architect in the design, development, and engineering of ESPN’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bristol, CT; Los Angeles, CA; Charlotte, NC; and Austin, TX, as well as data centers and infrastructure that connect those facilities around the world, as well as the technology design and development to support the launch of the multi-platform SEC Network.
Between 2007 and 2012, LaBerge was co-founder and CEO of Fanzter, Inc. – a venture-funded consumer software and digital product development company. At Fanzter, he directed all day-to-day operations and led the development and launch of a variety of consumer-focused internet and mobile products, ground-breaking social and commerce technologies and more.
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