Although sports betting in North Carolina has been struggling to get through, the lottery scene seems to be thriving.
New Contract Extends Old Partnership
Its initial term is until October 31, 2025, with an option for annual renewals for up to three additional years. This latest contract will enable Pollard to support the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) with an analysis of online traffic patterns across channels, thus providing further insight on how to improve the overall online experience.
Pollard’s analysis will help boost player engagement and loyalty, as well as accelerate conversions by developing and employing innovative multichannel digital strategies. This will enable the company to identify content and cross-sell opportunities, while also generating data that can improve and optimize the user experience.
The pair has been working together for a decade, with their relationship already including an iLottery solution through the NeoPollard Interactive (NPi) joint venture. It includes a fully integrated player engagement and player loyalty program on all channels. Additionally, scratch-off tickets and marketing efforts have also been part of the pair’s joint efforts.
The new contract extends this relationship and provides insight into what the future will bring: growing revenue through a data-driven improvement in players’ digital experience.
We wanted a partner with the proven know-how to play a pivotal role in our Lottery’s future by fortifying our digital assets within this highly specialized space.
Mark Michalko, NCEL’s executive director
Joint Venture Expanding NA Presence
NCEL is only of NPi’s lottery partners, being joined in the list by others such as Michigan, New Hampshire and Virginia. Its North American presence has been continuously expanded, with more and more names joining the list. Almost a year ago, NPi signed a five-year deal with Alberta Lottery, and at the tail end of last year, it inked a partnership with Georgia Lottery.
The collaboration between Pollard and NeoGames – the other half of NPi – was itself recently overhauled, strengthening the joint venture. It not only reinforces the existing relationship but now grants both parties more options to pursue further digital lottery opportunities in North America, as it enables them to do so both in partnership, as well as independently.
As for North Carolina’s future, the state has been struggling with introducing sports betting, with legalization narrowly escaping its grasp several times. This is in stark contrast to its neighbors, with Virginia and Tennessee already there. This sparked the conversations for NC and sports betting from the start of the year.
Georgia is also possibly ready to follow suit in implementing sports betting soon. It also had a failed bid to legalize it in 2022 – just like NC – and as the new legislative session kicked off on January 9, this brought back sports betting to the forefront of the conversation for the state. So, with so many neighbors already there, it might put some more pressure on NC to get moving as well.