OLC has issued a Request for Proposal, seeking vendors to provide digital services that will enhance the lottery’s loyalty program, improve ticket verification, and enhance the app. Per the Request for Proposal, the specific upgrades include:

• Website and mobile app services
• Loyalty Platform: Players Club
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform
• A foundation that allows the OLC to launch an iLottery business model if granted legislative authority in the future
• Personnel Support
• Added Value

OLC’s requirements for vendors include being able to integrate the new apps with the commission’s existing system and meet strict security and data standards.

The vendor must also “ have an active U.S. iLottery business model capable of launching within 6–12 months of OLC authorization.”

While OTC has not confirmed that it intends to launch iLottery, it’s looking to position itself to be ready in case lawmakers pass a bill to authorize it.

Legislative Changes Needed for an Oklahoma iLottery

As online casino expansion in the US has stalled in recent years, some states are turning to online lotteries for an additional source of tax revenue.

For some, implementation is relatively easy. They need a regulatory change, such as an amendment to the state’s lottery commission rules. Examples of US jurisdictions taking that path include North Carolina, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., and most recently, Kansas.

However, for others, including Oklahoma, the process requires legislative approval. That means unless the state Legislature passes a new law or amends existing statutes, the OLC does not have the authority to offer iLottery.

That will not happen this year as the legislative session ended on May 30. The session did see one proposal, Senate Bill 164, which would have defined “online gaming” and directly authorized the purchase of lottery tickets through a computer or an app.

While the bill narrowly passed through the initial committee, it faced opposition. Some lawmakers feared it would violate exclusivity provisions of the gaming compacts with native American tribes.

At that time, lawmakers were placing a higher focus on two bills that would exclusively allow tribal sports betting. Both bills passed in the House, but ran out of time in the Senate.

OK Could Join a Growing List of States With iLottery

If online lottery eventually does come to Oklahoma, the state will join over a dozen others with some sort of online lottery purchases:

• Connecticut (draw only)
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Maine(draw only)
• Maryland (draw only)
• Michigan
• Kansas
• New Hampshire
• New York* (draw only)
• North Carolina
• North Dakota (draw only)
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island (eInstants only)
• Virginia
• Washington D.C.
• West Virginia

*by subscription only

Kansas was the latest state to launch online lottery sales in February. Massachusetts expects to join the list in 2026 after it pushed its original forecast from this fall.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Lottery Commission approved online sales last year, but it’s facing opposition from lawmakers.

Lottery Couriers Have Filled the iLottery Gap in Many States

Online lottery ticket purchases are available in over a dozen states, and the list is growing. Additionally, in many states without state-run online options, lottery players can purchase tickets online through licensed lottery couriers.

These couriers, including Jackpocket, Jackpot.com, Lotto.com, and theLotter, act as a middleman. The user places a lottery ticket order through their app, and the courier purchases the ticket on their behalf, sending them a confirmation.

If the ticket is a winner, the courier will automatically pay prizes of $600 or less directly through the app. For larger prizes, the courier arranges the delivery of the physical ticket. The user must then claim the prize in person.

While licensed, lottery couriers are usually unregulated, except in New Jersey and New York. As a result, Jackpocket has recently found itself at the center of a scandal in Texas that could lead to the abolishment of the Texas Lottery Commission.

Meanwhile, in Connecticut, a bill that bans lottery couriers and sweepstakes casinos awaits Governor Ned Lamont’s signature to become a law.

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May’s proposal to purchase NeoGames came in at a price of £29.50 per share, valuing the group at $1.2bn to represent a 104 per cent premium on the value of the company’s shares in the three months ending May 12. 

Two months later, shareholders approved the agreement and the continuation, with a second vote scheduled to take place during the first half of the 2024 fiscal year.

Currently, it is updated that those representing  61 per cent of the company’s outstanding shares have executed a support agreement with Aristocrat, pursuant to which it is said that “they have also irrevocably agreed to vote in favour” of the transaction.

Completion, which is scheduled for the first half of 2024, is dependent on customary closing conditions that includes the receipt of all required gaming and antitrust approvals

“We continue to make progress towards completing our merger with Aristocrat Leisure, and during this quarter have received additional regulatory approvals which are required to close. We continue to expect the deal to be completed during the first half of fiscal year 2024,” stated Moti Malul, Chief Executive Officer of NeoGames.

“In the meantime, we remain dedicated to elevating the igaming landscape, capitalising on opportunities, and diligently executing on our strategic objectives for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

This update was delivered as the company reported revenue of $63.3m, which represents a drop from $73.3m that is aligned to a slowdown in Aspire Core.

NeoGames noted that this primarily due to regulatory changes in the United Kingdom, as well as a temporary pause in operations in Germany prior to the company recently securing its local licence.

Revenue across the group’s igaming division dropped 34.21 per cent to $31.91m (2022: $48.51m), with the aforementioned drawbacks taking hold.

The company’s ilottery division rose 5.1 per cent to $14.4m (2022: $13.7m), while its share in NeoPollard Interactive came in at $31.4m, up 26.9 per cent. This was put down to a continued positive growth trend across most major accounts.

Group-wide net loss closed to £3.6m versus the $4.4m recorded one year earlier, primarily attributed to costs attributed to the Aristocrat transaction. Adjusted EBITDA increased 12.9 per cent to $19.9m (2022: $17.6m). 

“Our ilottery business continues to win market share and grow as we have recently announced that our joint venture, NeoPollard Interactive, expanded its footprint in the US, winning a public procurement to provide the West Virginia Lottery with a full ilottery program,” Malul commented. 

“Furthermore, we are working together with the North Carolina Lottery to prepare for the expansion of their ilottery program as they recently received approval to launch einstant games.”

Adding: “While Aspire Core results slowed due to regulatory shifts in the United Kingdom and operational changes in Germany as we obtained our licence to operate in that market, we anticipate seeing gradual improvement over the next few quarters. We remain focused on achieving sustainable growth. 

“We are also encouraged by the interest and pipeline in the US market for our igaming offering. We plan to continue to invest in delivering the deals we’ve announced and to enhance our product offering to scale and capture future opportunities in the space.”

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Confirmed at this year’s EL/ELA Marketing seminar in London, the agreement between the two entities will see NeoGames contribute as a level two partner – semi premium – to all the major events of EL for the next two years. 

Moti Malul, CEO of NeoGames, noted: “NeoGames is thrilled to have become a level two partner to EL, the European lottery sector’s largest and most representative organisation. 

“For over a decade, we have been providing our ilottery technology solutions and online games to European lotteries and we are glad that our partners are seeing great success with our offering. 

“NeoGames today has nine EL members as its customers and we look forward to working closely with EL over the next few years, contributing to its key events and ultimately playing an instrumental role in helping its member lotteries advance their programs to their players, generate more revenue, and maximise proceeds to good causes.”

Adding to the thoughts of Malul, Arjan van ‘t Veer, Secretary General of EL, expressed his “delight” on the partnership with NeoGames. 

He stated: “NeoGames is a young and innovative supplier to the lottery sector and brings new developments and knowledge to the members of EL. We can extend our services to our members and by doing so create more value for the benefit of society.”

This partnership with the EL comes off the back of NeoGames subsidiary Aspire Global’s agreement with UK-based operator Metropolitan Gaming to provide the latter with its full range of technology solutions. 

Moreover, NeoGames kicked off the new year through the announcement that the firm has received a responsible gaming certification from the World Lottery Association.

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In total 99.31 per cent of the group’s shares have been tendered, with the expected settlement date for those gained during the extension of the acceptance period set for the end of the month.

The shares of Aspire Global that remain outstanding will be subject to a squeeze-out proceeding which is expected to be completed by the aforementioned date in early-mid August.

“We are thrilled to complete this strategic transaction with the Aspire Global team, and to commence working on identifying potential opportunities to capitalize on the merger of our platforms,” explained Moti Malul, Chief Executive Officer of NeoGames. 

“With this transaction, we are combining our two companies with a goal to create a leading global provider in interactive content, proprietary technology as well as gaming operations, tapping into a potential total addressable market of $74bn, according to H2 Gambling Capital, which is estimated across all elements of ilottery, online sports betting and igaming verticals for 2021. 

“We believe this strategic combination will generate long-term shareholder value by synergistically capitalising on the key strengths of our two companies and will help position NeoGames for expansion in new and existing markets. 

“By integrating our market-leading platform and scalable position within the rapidly expanding global ilottery market, with Aspire Global’s proprietary sports betting platform, BtoBet; its igaming content and aggregation platform, Pariplay; and its proprietary content and turn-key B2B gaming solutions, NeoGames is well positioned to increase our addressable market opportunities, and further expand our services to our North American customers.”

The combined company will be led by Malul, who will continue as CEO, and Raviv Adler as Chief Financial Officer. Tsachi Maimon, the current CEO of Aspire, will join NeoGames as President and will lead a newly formed igaming division. The current board of directors is remaining in place with no changes.

“We at Aspire Global are extremely excited to join the NeoGames team to execute on our mutual goals following the completion of this transaction,” added Maimon.

“We view this transaction is the natural next step for our company, as we further enhance our scale and competitive position across all business lines,” added Maimon. 

“We believe both companies are well positioned to mutually grow our two platforms and execute on our strategic initiatives. 

“Not only is this a strategic fit, it is also a strong cultural fit, as significant parts of both management teams worked together extensively during NeoGames’ inception.”

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The lottery supplier notes that it remains “ focused on capitalising on an expanding market opportunity,” after voicing optimism that the group has “carried our momentum into 2022”.

The comments come after NeoGames said that it was striving to create “a leading global provider in interactive content” in January, after commencing a public offer to the shareholders of Aspire.

The $480m bid to purchase 100 per cent of the outstanding shares of the firm is comprised of 50 per cent in each of cash and equity. If the offer is accepted by at least 90 per cent of Aspire shareholders, and subject to additional terms and conditions, the transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2022.

Moti Malul, Chief Executive Officer of NeoGames, explained: “We carried our momentum into 2022 with our offer to acquire Aspire Global, which continues to be on track for closing in the first half of 2022. More and more we find our ilottery customers require a broad range of integrated gaming verticals. 

“We firmly believe that combining NeoGames and Aspire Global will drive our strategy to be a leader in providing digital solutions to lotteries globally. 

“We are already successfully collaborating with Aspire to launch their Pariplay content in Alberta and the early results are very encouraging. 

“We remain focused on capitalising on an expanding market opportunity and continuing to create value for our shareholders.”  

The comments come as the group details its financial performance across 2021’s fourth quarter and full year, which saw Q4 revenue, including its 50/50 NeoPollard Interactive joint venture with Pollard Banknote, increase 15.2 per cent year-on-year to $21.3m (2020: $18.5m). 

NeoGames revenue dropped 12.1 per cent from $14m to $12.25m (2020: $14m) YoY, however, its share in NPI doubled to $9m.

Net loss through the quarter dropped to $3.55m from a profit of $2.49m that was recorded one year earlier, with adjusted EBITDA decreasing 13.8 per cent to $7.9m from $9.17m.

For the year, combined revenue increased 43.9 per cent to $84.5m (2020: $58.7m), with NeoGames up fractionally to $50.46m (2020: $49.2m) as NPI surged to $34.1m (2020: $9.5m).

Net income dropped from 2020’s $7.95m to $4.97m, with adjusted EBITDA securing an uptick of 16.5 per cent to $33.38m from $28.65m YoY.

“Sound commercial execution and unrivalled innovation in ilottery are continuing to drive growth for our customers,” added Malul.

“During the fourth quarter we saw growth in all of our key accounts with particular strength in our US accounts. Our combined revenues and share in NPI Revenues grew five per cent sequentially, and over 40 per cent for the full year.”

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The CRM marketing group states that its latest appointment furthers its strategic investment in expanding its customer base as a key growth engine for the business.  

“We’re thrilled to welcome Peter to Optimove, to oversee enterprise sales for new igaming and ilottery markets,” said Motti Colman, senior director of sales at Optimove. 

“Peter is a key addition to the team. His experience, knowledge, and insight into the igaming industry will play a major role in our efforts to scale our sales operations and expand our portfolio of tier one and state lottery operators. 

“As this and previous appointments suggest, we are determined to keep Optimove one step ahead of the curve and continue to provide both prospects and clients with the best offering and service possible.”   

During his 18-year igaming career, Miles is lauded as being responsible for developing and implementing the global business strategy of OpenBet and most recently SG Digital. 

Through his roles as commercial director and subsequently VP of business development, he focused on driving sales across sports betting and gaming operators such as William Hill, Betfair, PMU, Coral, and Sportsbet. 

In addition, he led the international growth into the digital sector of World Lottery Association operators, such as Danske Spil, Nederlandse Loterij, Loto Quebec, and BCLC.       

“I’m excited to join Optimove and play a major role in the company’s rapid growth efforts,” Miles commented. “I would like to thank SG Digital, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and

 I am very much looking forward to my next challenge at Optimove. Having been at the forefront of the growth of the iGaming industry, Optimove is a company that I’ve always highly regarded, with its next-generation AI technology, enabling leading operators

 to personalize and orchestrate customer journeys at scale. I look forward to the challenge of developing deeper partnerships with Operators, to improve CRM Marketing practices and player experiences.”

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The new iLottery games, which includes content from NYX Gaming Group – recently acquired by SG – forms part of a series of legislative initiatives that also include keno and virtual sports.

“Pennsylvania iLottery games are a fun, new way to play and win from home or while on the go,” said Pennsylvania Lottery executive director Drew Svitko.

“It is a big part of our effort to meet our players where they already are, while generating new funds to benefit older Pennsylvanians.”

Offering the chance to win up to $250,000, the new digital lottery games include Big Money Slingo, Bigfoot, Foxin’ Wins, Monster Wins, Super Gems, and Volcano Eruption.

The new iLottery offering includes SG’s responsible gaming controls and an affiliate program that benefits existing Pennsylvania lottery retailers.

Pat McHugh, SVP for global lottery systems at Scientific Games, added: “Scientific Games has a long history of investing in innovative games, technology and services that maximise Lottery funds to benefit older Pennsylvanians. Our partnership with the Pennsylvania Lottery has resulted in one of the highest performing lotteries in the world.

“Now we are thrilled to combine Scientific Games and NYX’s market-leading capabilities to offer entertaining digital games to Pennsylvania lottery players, and to continue our support of Pennsylvania Lottery retailers with the iLottery affiliate program.”

Players can try out the new interactive games at www.pailottery.com.

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