North Carolina Education Lottery grants contract to Pollard Banknote for supplying instant win tickets and scratch-off games.
Sports Betting Struggles While North Carolina Lottery Thrives
North Carolina's sports betting sector is encountering a bump in the road, yet the lottery scene continues to flourish.
A Long-Term Partnership Amplifies Success
The new contract, valid until October 31, 2025, and featuring potential three-year extensions, will see Pollard collaborate with the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL), providing an analysis of traffic patterns across diverse channels to gain a deeper understanding of how to optimize the online experience.
For the NCEL, Pollard's insight is set to boost player engagement and loyalty, expedite conversions through groundbreaking multichannel digital strategies, and identify content and cross-selling opportunities. This partnership will also generate valuable data to perfect and optimize the user experience.
The two entities have enjoyed a decade-long alliance, with collaborative projects including iLottery solutions, integrated player engagement and loyalty programs on all channels, scratch-off tickets, and marketing initiatives. This latest contract solidifies their relationship, aiming to boost revenue through a data-driven augmentation of players' digital experience.
As the NCEL's Chief Executive Officer explained, "We sought a partner with the expertise to play a decisive role in our Lottery's future, by reinforcing our digital assets in this specialized niche."
NPi's Increasing North American Footprint
Beyond North Carolina, NPi is partnered with other lotteries like Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia, Alberta Lottery, and Georgia Lottery, extending its North American presence. In 2024, the company signed a five-year deal with Alberta Lottery, and at the close of last year, it partnered with Georgia Lottery.
The alliance between Pollard and NeoGames, the other half of NPi, has undergone a recent reinforcement, strengthening the joint venture. This consolidated relationship expands their possibilities for pursuing additional digital lottery opportunities in North America, enabling them to do so cohesively, as well as individually.
Navigating the Tug-of-War of Sports Betting in North Carolina
NC's sports betting market continues to falter, with the legalization bill narrowly missing the mark on several occasions. This is a stark contrast to their neighbors, who have already embraced sports betting, such as Virginia and Tennessee. Conversations concerning NC and sports betting have been underway since the beginning of the year.
Georgia has also demonstrated readiness to join the fray, having made an earlier, unsuccessful attempt to legalize sports betting in 2022, similar to NC. With several neighbors already on board, the pressure is building on NC to speed up its efforts.
As the new legislative session commenced on January 9, sports betting once again took center stage in Georgia's conversations, potentially hastening its move towards approving betting on sports. It remains to be seen how the tides of change will affect North Carolina's stance on sports betting.
Although the sports betting sector in North Carolina faces challenges, the partnership between Pollard and the North Carolina Education Lottery is set to employ technology to enhance the digital experience, boosting player engagement and potentially introducing new revenue streams.
Despite the struggles of sports betting, other lotteries like Georgia, geographically close to North Carolina, are considering legalizing it, potentially putting further pressure on North Carolina to reconsider its stance on sports betting.
