Lottery
Rush Street Interactive Incorporated and The Connecticut Lottery Corporation to Wind Down Partnership
Rush Street Interactive (NYSE: RSI) and the Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC) today announced a joint plan to wind down their online and in-person sports betting partnership in Connecticut. The CLC will begin the process of pursing a new operator through a request for proposals in the coming days.
RSI will continue to operate online and in-person sports betting in Connecticut on behalf of the CLC until a replacement is selected. RSI and the CLC currently expect to transition the existing sports betting operations during the second half of 2023.
Players on the PlaySugarHouse.com online platform or at any of the nine Connecticut retail locations can be confident that any wagers placed will continue to be valid and all wins will continue to be paid out appropriately. RSI is continuing to work closely with the CLC to minimize any potential disruptions to players or business partners as the operation is wound down.
“We thank RSI for working closely with CLC to establish the foundation for CLC’s sports betting operation, both online and in retail,” the President of the CLC, Gregory Smith, said.
“We thank the CLC for its partnership over the last two years,” the Chief Executive Officer for RSI, Richard Schwartz, said. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together in Connecticut and have enjoyed the relationships that we have built with the players. Consistent with our long-term strategic goals, after much deliberation and discussions with the CLC, we believe it is in the best interest of RSI and our stockholders to wind down this partnership.
“As is consistent with nearly everything we do at RSI, both RSI and the CLC remain committed to putting our players first. Through the transition we plan to continue to support all player wagers and ensure a positive player experience and expect the changeover will have an immaterial impact on our guidance for 2023.”
PlaySugarHouse.com and the Connecticut retail sports betting location will continue to operate as normal until a replacement operator is found, at which point operations will be transitioned to the new operator. Players with questions can always contact RSI’s award-winning customer service 24/7 at 1-800-622-0163.
More information related to the timing of selecting a new operator and transitioning online and retail sports wagering to that operator will be shared by the CLC as details for a transition are determined.
Latest News
Leading Brazilian Lottery Operator Grupo da Sorte Selects Optimove as CRM Marketing Solution to Accelerate Growth through Personalized Journey Orchestration
Grupo da Sorte, a leading Brazilian lottery operator, has chosen Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for iGaming, to enhance player engagement and retention, helping accelerate the operator’s rapid growth. With Optimove’s advanced CRM Marketing capabilities, Grupo da Sorte is empowered to deliver optimized player journeys with personalized experiences across a broad range of digital touchpoints, enhancing player satisfaction, engagement, retention, and lifetime value.
Optimove, the only CRM Marketing Solution approved as an official European Lotteries Association Associate Member, is the #1 CRM Marketing solution used by digital lottery operators across the globe. The company empowers digital lottery operators – such as Sisal, Scientific Games, Connecticut Lottery, Kentucky Lottery, Pennsylvania Lottery, Maryland Lottery, La Tinka, and more – to achieve growth through their existing players. Optimove is used by 56% of iGaming operators in EGR’s Power 50 Ranking 2024, including bet365, Kindred Group, Lottomatica, and Entain.
The strategic integration bolsters Grupo da Sorte’s mobile marketing engagement strategies through OptiMobile, Optimove’s native mobile marketing solution. OptiMobile empowers the brand to send personalized rich media mobile push messages directly to players’ devices at optimal engagement times. The lottery operator will also leverage OptiGenie to optimize marketing workflows from insight to creation and through orchestration empowering its marketing team to deliver personalized, relevant player messages at the speed of a player’s interaction with the brand.
Grupo da Sorte will gain key capabilities via Optimove:
- Advanced marketing AI capabilities: Providing AI-driven insights to improve player understanding, streamline content creation, and optimize campaign orchestration for delivering enhanced personalized experiences across channels and player touchpoints.
- Enriched customer profiles: Unifying all historical, predictive, and real-time player data from sources such as CRM, service clouds, and data warehouses via Optimove to create a comprehensive single-player view.
- Multichannel personalization and orchestration: Orchestrating hundreds of campaigns seamlessly by leveraging Optimove’s AI-mapped CRM Journeys to deliver personalized player communications across any channel.
- A continuous optimization loop: Leverage Optimove’s productized experimentation tools to measure the incremental uplift of each campaign, journey, and strategy to continuously optimize CRM Marketing performance.
Said Tom Santos, group commercial director, “With Optimove’s industry-leading CRM Marketing capabilities, we can now provide personalized, timely player interactions that match the fast-paced nature of lottery gaming. Their AI-driven solutions empower us to anticipate each player’s needs and deliver the most relevant experiences across every touchpoint. Optimove reinforces our dedication to exceeding our players’ expectations and driving long-term engagement and loyalty.”
“At Optimove, we thrive when working with forward-thinking clients, and we’re thrilled to partner with Grupo da Sorte on their exciting growth journey,” said Felipe Costa Nadalini, Account Executive at Optimove. “The team at Grupo da Sorte recognizes the impact that exceptional player experiences can have on driving business growth. As they focus on attracting and converting more players, we’re dedicated to helping them enhance player engagement and build lasting retention.”
Optimove will attend and exhibit at SBC Latinoamerica Summit Miami, October 29-31.
Evoplay recently announced the launch of its lottery products in partnership with EQL Games. What has the initial market response been like, and how do you see the products evolving?
We view the partnership with EQL Games as an exciting development, as it represents our first steps in the US lottery market. While it’s still too early to assess the market response, EQL is one of the largest independent providers of games in the US lottery market. Integrating our products into their US portfolio provides lotteries with access to super competitive content and lays the foundation for future growth, opening the door to broader opportunities.
Evoplay is famous as an award-winning iGaming studio that produces innovative games that many operators across the globe take up. However, as newcomers to the very different lottery market, we are taking a strategic, step-by-step approach to building visibility and establishing a strong presence. Not all of our games are appropriate for the far more conservative iLottery market – we are, therefore, modifying our most popular instant win games as well as developing specific ‘lottery friendly’ content to establish a lottery focussed portfolio of games that support safer gaming initiatives while still being attractive to players.
In October, Evoplay will be attending the World Lottery Summit in Paris, where we will showcase our lottery games and ideas. This engagement is vital to our strategy to expand our network and explore new partnerships.
How would you evaluate the current landscape of the US lottery market? Are there any new partnerships on the horizon for the US market?
There are two factors currently impacting the US lottery market. First, retail sales are down, with most lotteries reporting significant declines in draw-based game sales for this fiscal year (FY25), mainly due to the lack of massive jackpots seen in FY24. Second, there’s increased competition for gambling dollars as states legalise online sports betting, bringing faster casino-style games to mobile devices. The attractive sign-up bonuses from online operators are drawing younger players away from traditional lottery games.
While North America’s iLottery sales are expected to reach $17.7 billion by 2032, this won’t fully offset the decline in draw-based games. To compete, lotteries must offer similar opportunities while leveraging their trusted branding. Evoplay can help by providing games that are not only safe but also appealing. This approach is already attracting interest from potential partners, and we expect that number to grow.
When introducing a long-established product like lottery, how do you ensure it resonates with new players while maintaining engagement from your core audience?
To engage new players as well as our existing audience, we’ve begun by transforming our popular instant games, such as Penalty Shoot-out, along with flagship titles like Adrenaline Rush and Star Guardians, into captivating lottery experiences. Unlike traditional lotteries, our games will offer a unique blend of excitement and entertainment, appealing to players who enjoy both casino dynamics and large jackpotswhile retaining familiar elements that resonate with our loyal audience.
By turning our popular titles into innovative lottery games and introducing entirely new ones, we aim toimpact in both the iGaming and lottery markets. We’re confident that our audience and newcomers alike will be curious about these new games, and we’ll further boost interest through various promotions. Evoplay’s products will deliver a unique gaming experience, combining nostalgic charm with modern appeal, ensuring they resonate with different player types worldwide. When players discover they’re not only having a great time but also having a chance to hit the jackpot and make their dreams come true, they won’t be indifferent.
In which global markets is the lottery experiencing the most growth, and where do you see the biggest opportunities?
Right now, the American (both North and South) market is at the forefront of online lottery growth, and there are huge opportunities here. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many players from retail to online platforms, leading to a clear increase in lottery participation globally. In the US, new online and sports betting laws have further accelerated this growth.
Asia is also a significant growth market, as is Latin America, which is becoming more accessible for operators. But if you ask me to pinpoint the biggest area for opportunity, I’d definitely say it’s the US. I believe our partnership with EQL Games is the first step for Evoplay to enter this market and sets the stage for future growth and success.
We are also focused on expanding our presence in other key markets, including Europe and beyond, where there are many lottery fans. The open data for 2024 highlights the growing potential in these regions, particularly in the top five countries by revenue, whichthe United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Canada lead. . This landscape presents us with numerous opportunities to leverage.
What does the future of the lottery look like to you?
As the lottery evolves, it will increasingly have to take on some of the characteristics of an online casino. To stay relevant, lotteries must enhance their game offerings and refresh their image to attract younger players, as most current participants are still 50 and older. This transformation is already underway and is set to accelerate, creating significant opportunities for innovative companies like Evoplay.
While engaging a younger audience is essential, prioritizing player safety remains crucial. This can be achieved by crafting games that encourage responsible play, offering captivating formats and dynamic gameplay that keep players engaged without compromising their well-being.
I believe the future of lotteries is bright as we innovate and adapt to the evolving preferences of players. Instant win games are poised to gain traction, potentially shifting the current balance from traditional lottery ticket sales to a greater emphasis on instant win formats by 2030.
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