It is not enough for WLA member lotteries to be competitive. They are obligated to offer their games in a responsible manner, keeping the best interest of their players at heart. This is what differentiates state-lottery organizations from the countless illegal and unauthorized lottery and betting organizations operating online today. Striking the right balance between providing our players with innovative and entertaining gaming and betting products while ensuring that those products are safe and responsible can be challenging. Providing safe and responsible gaming begins with how we position and market our products.
It is the responsibility of WLA member lotteries to ensure that the demand for lottery and sports betting products is channeled through legal and supervised retail and digital networks. To fulfill this important mission, lotteries must utilize a variety of media to advertise their products.
The producers and marketers of lottery and sports betting products encourage responsible decision making, regarding play by adults, and discourage the misuse of their products. It is the lottery sector’s firm commitment that adults who choose to play the lottery or bet on sports, do so responsibly.
This document is not intended to prescribe guidelines for all marketing and advertising activities, but rather focuses on the marketing communications of sports betting products. For the sake of clarity, we provide the following two definitions :
Marketing :
a process associated with promoting for sale goods or services. The classic components of marketing are the Four P’s : product, price, place, and promotion – the selection and development of the product, determination of price, selection and design of distribution channels (place), and all aspects of generating or enhancing demand for the product, including advertising (promotion).
Advertising :
a (generally) paid form of non-personal message communicated through the various media by industry, business firms, nonprofit organizations, or individuals. Advertising is persuasive and informational and is designed to influence the purchasing behavior and/or thought patterns of the audience. Advertising is a marketing tool and may be used in combination with other marketing tools such as sales promotions, personal selling tactics, sponsorship, publicity, or public relations.
The focus of this guide is on the promotional element of the marketing mix – referred to in this document as Marketing Communications. Issues of price, product, and place are not the main focus.
