Many people around the world play the lotto and other games or bet on sports for entertainment. In the case of the regulated gaming and betting industry, money spent having fun goes much further – it contributes towards the good causes supported by the betting and gaming operators.  

During WLS 2024, the session on the Lotteries’ Contribution to Society focused on the impact lotteries have in their jurisdictions around the world, underscoring their reason for being, the different causes they support, and the many people whose lives are improved.

The session was moderated by Gretchen Corbin, Georgia Lottery, US, with panellists Jannie Haek, CEO, Loterie Nationale, Belgium; Jean-Francois Bergeron, President & CEO, Loto-Quebec, Canada & Isabelle Jean Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Lottery Games, Loto-Quebec, and Jesus Huerta, Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado (SELAE), Spain, who explained the work of their lotteries.

The Georgia Lottery

The Georgia Lottery began in 1993 with a mandate to invest lottery funds in education. Since its inception, it has contributed USD 28.3 billion to education, with over USD 2 million pre-K students attending free pre-K and over 2 million college students receiving free tuition.

Loto-Quebec

The Canadian lottery’s vision is to "play together so that Quebec wins," emphasizing social responsibility and community engagement, Loto-Quebec provided CAD 1.5 billion in dividends to the Quebec government, and supports cultural events and social causes, including a CAD 70 million donation to a smart home for autistic young adults.

With a network of 8,000 luxury retail outlets, 1300 video lottery terminals, casinos, gaming halls, and online gaming, its facilities include hotels, restaurants, bars, conference centers, performance halls, a nightclub, a golf course, and a collection of artworks.

Belgium National Lottery

The Belgium National Lottery emphasizes chance and solidarity, with winners sharing their winnings with society. Described as a small lottery in a small country with a diverse player base, its profits, amounting to EUR 365 million, are directed primarily to good causes. One of its key roles is to create a positive balance in society through responsible gaming and social contributions.

Spain's Loterías del Estado

With EUR 9.9 billion in sales and EUR 2.2 billion for social spending, SELAE supports sports, culture, and social causes, including a century’s collaboration with the Spanish Red Cross, as well as work with the Spanish Association Against Cancer, and Caritas.

The organization emphasizes its social responsibilities and the balance between commercial results and social contribution. The lottery is also committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Founded in 1763 with a royal decree to support hospitals, hospices, and people in need, last year's sales of EUR 9.9 million, with over 30% of annual sales from the El Gordo de Navidad.

A final thought

After thanking the panellists for sharing the great work and good causes their lotteries supported, Corbin concluded by noting that it was important to provide the greatest returns to the beneficiaries of their jurisdictions.

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WLS 2024 Parallel session 8: Why innovation and creativity are key to successful lotteries worldwide

The session on Lottery innovation and creativity, drew on the experiences of the panellists, who gave insights into the impact of consumer behaviour and regulations on their businesses, and how they continue to drive innovation in their markets.

Moderated by Alessandro Paciucci, SVP, Italy Lottery Operations, IGT, Italy, with panellists Aida Bachner, Aristocrat Interactive, Cayman Islands; Dato' Lawrence Lim, CEO, Magnum Corporation, Malaysia and Avi Levy, Director, Instant tickets Marketing, Mifal Hapais, Israel, the discussions opened with Aida Buckner from Aristocrat Interactive, who talked about the importance of data centralization for personalized player experiences, including loyalty clubs, and marketing campaigns, and responsible gaming.

Aristocrat Interactive

Buckner highlighted other key factors, including real-time segmentation and automation in player communication and engagement, the role of AI in managing responsible gaming tools and predicting problematic behaviour, and the need to use available data without intruding on personal privacy.

Magnum Corporation

Dato’ Lawrence Lim discussed the challenges of post-pandemic digital transformation, including the impact of social distancing and the development of self-service kiosks and e-wallets to get customers to come back to retail stores. Products must continue to be designed to be sustainable, for instance, games with long odds and capped jackpots, to maintain player interest and replay money.

Mifal Hapais

Avi Levy explained that given regulatory limitations for online products in Israel, his lottery focused investment in innovation at the points of sale. Bright displays, increased product visibility and live broadcasts of draws engaged players, with the result that almost 80% of players scratched instant tickets immediately at the point of sale.

Italy Lottery Operations, IGT

Alessandro Paciucci described how important the culture and mindset were for creating the perfect environment and alignment to develop consistent and relevant innovation.

Additionally, the customer-centric approach of identifying player insights and needs through market research and continuous monitoring, helped with developing innovative draw games and retailer digitization, contributed to achieving significant sales growth and engagement metrics.

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