Have a Truly Epic Holiday

Transcription

1 Have a Truly Epic Holiday With Four Festive Scratch-its SM! Are your players searching for the perfect holiday gift? Well, they re in luck, because we ve got four festive holiday Scratch-its SM, perfect for gift-giving. g. Those Scratch-its include Holiday Treasure ($1), Truly Epic Holiday Sweater ($2), Santa Paws Crossword ord ($3) and All of the Other Reindeer ($10). Our exciting holiday tickets will be supported with TV, radio, and an interactive campaign, as well as point of sale materials that feature our wide ety of holiday scratch-its (including the Truly Epic vari- Holiday Sweater Scratch-it). We are also giving away free gift holders, which are perfect for ping holiday Scratch-its. These gift holders each wrap- show a different epic holiday sweater, and include a fun holiday message on the inside. While you are preparing for this busy holiday shopping season, keep the following selling tips in mind: Keep dispensers stocked, cleaned and organized. Keep holiday games visible. Pay attention to which games attract players in your area, so you can suggest gift ideas. Follow your Star Retailer Excellence Program best practices. Create a sales goal. Last year s statewide holiday Scratch-it sales increased by over $1,450,000! Can you help beat last year s total? Tell your players to pick up some holiday Scratch-its today. Cheers to a successful holiday season! LOTTERY c o n n e c t i o n n ovember/december 2011 Volume 21 i ssue 11/12 Tell Your Players About Keno to Go provides your players with the abil- ity to buy a Keno ticket in your retail location, and watch the results from anywhere! From their booth in your restaurant or bar, on the bus, at home, and more! Not to mention, the new game slip has been re-worked to make Keno even eas- ier for your customers to play. They can even use this new game slip to choose the time of day they want their Keno game to begin! The game slip is a snap to fill out and should be very popular with core players and new players alike. You will also notice point of sale materials showcasing the versatility of Keno to Go. These materials feature images of places your cus- tomers can watch Keno to Go. Keno is also supported with internet advertising and show- cased at promotional events. Watch for our promotions team at upcom- ing events through the fall, including college football games! Tell your players to watch for the Oregon Lottery mobile Keno cart, where they will have a chance to win a free Keno ticket! For a complete list of events, visit oregonlottery.org. Click on Fun Stuff, then Events.

2 Director s corner You may have seen the news reports not long ago about the Lottery s fiscal year 2011 sales. For that time period (July 2010-June 2011), Lottery sales exceeded the previous year s total for the first time in three years. Good news for all who benefit from Lottery sales you, our retailers, the citizens of Oregon, and the hard-working staff at the Lottery. I mention the past fiscal year as we are about to enter the holiday season, which year in and year out, features the highest Scratch-it SM sales of the year. As you see in this issue of the Lottery Connection, our lineup of holiday Scratch-its offers a broad choice of games we think will appeal to all types of current and potential Lottery players. The versatility, simplicity and fun of playing these games are part of their appeal. Scratchits can be used as gift tags, stocking stuffers, office gift exchanges, or inexpensive and fun gifts. Keeping your dispensers and Lottery to Go TM terminals stocked throughout the holidays will help you and your players. Star Retailer Excellence Program Prize Drawings Coming Soon! It s almost that time again! Time for some Star Retailer Excellence Program prizes, that is! You could win an ipad, $500 in cash, or $25 in Scratch-its SM by following these best practices: On-Premise Retailers Promote new and current Video Lottery SM games and programs Demonstrate exceptional customer service Pay your players promptly Keep Lottery terminals and displays clean and clearly visible Provide good service to Keno players by running tickets and paying prizes Keep Keno displays prominent Keep Lottery signs lit Off-Premise Retailers Cross-sell and up-sell Lottery products Keep Lottery products and displays clean and clearly visible Promote new and current Lottery games, including holiday Scratch-its Display new Scratch-it games promptly Demonstrate exceptional customer service Acquire a thorough knowledge of Lottery products and communicate that knowledge to customers Pay players promptly Keep dispensers/lottery to Go TM fully stocked Tell players about Keno to Go, and encourage them to watch Keno drawings live at oregonlottery.org Our next drawing will take place on January 26, Keep those best practices rolling, and you might just receive an entry into the drawing! Yet another positive aspect of robust holiday Scratch-it sales is the fact that people who may not be players will be coming into your location to redeem winning tickets they received as gifts. This will give you a great opportunity to engage and educate a potential new customer. Introduce them to the wide variety of Lottery games beyond just Scratch-its and at the end of this fiscal year, we ll be looking at even better results!

3 Game Change The Powerball game change is coming soon! We want to provide you with as much information as possible, about the new and improved Powerball game, before this change takes place! The Powerball game change will take place on January 15, 2012, and here are the highlights: Bigger Jackpots Jackpots will start at $40 million (up from $20 million)! More Million Dollar Prizes The Match 5 prize has increased to $1 million (up from $200,000)! New Power Play Option* Now when players add Power Play (for an additional $1) and match 5 white balls, they will win $2 million! The new Power Play option also offers other set prizes from $12-$40,000. *Power Play will no longer be a multiplier New! Game Screen Changes You requested it, and we delivered! We ve now made our game screens even easier for you to use! Now your sales will be super speedy with the addition of Quick Pick buttons! We ve added Quick Pick buttons to the Powerball game screens, as well as the Mega Millions and Megabucks SM game screens (as shown below). Please note: The original game screen buttons are still available for you to PRIZE TIERS of winning on Each $2 TIckET 50% PayouT MaTch PRIZE PRIZE with PowER Play 5 of 5 + PowER ball win or ShaRE JackPoT PRIZE 5 of 5 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 4 of 5 + PowER ball $10,000 $40,000 4 of 5 $100 $200 3 of 5 + PowER ball $100 $200 3 of 5 $7 $14 2 of 5 + PowER ball $7 $14 1 of 5 + PowER ball $4 $12 0 of 5 + PowER ball $4 $12 use to sell Powerball, in addition to the new Quick Pick buttons. Product Positioning Now players can choose between three big jackpot games! Powerball : $2 per play Biggest Jackpots! ($40 million minimum) Mega Millions : $1 per play Big Jackpots! ($12 million minimum) Megabucks SM : $1 per play Oregon s Jackpot Game ($1 million minimum) Please note: The 26 for $25 option will no longer be available for Powerball. We are developing a comprehensive advertising campaign to reposition Powerball. Our goal is to maximize your sales and profits not only for Powerball but all jackpot games. This January, the Powerball game change will be supported with TV, radio, updated outdoor jackpot boards, point of sale materials and an interactive campaign. You will also see a campaign this spring that focuses on both Powerball and Mega Millions. The purpose of this campaign is to reposition both products as the Big (Mega Millions) and Biggest (Powerball) Oregon Lottery games. Questions? Please refer to your Powerball game change sales piece or ask your field sales representative.

4 Key Results from the May 2011 Tracking Study Results from our most recent biannual Tracking Study have arrived! A random sample of 1,000 Oregonians indicated that Oregonians continue to think of the Lottery in a positive way, as the number of people playing Lottery games remains stable. Attitudes about the Lottery 66% of Oregonians have overall positive opinions about the Lottery a slight decline from the prior year. However, this remains six points above the targeted level. Overall, levels of unaided* awareness of any Oregon Lottery game has increased, with Powerball (41%), Megabucks SM (41%), and Scratch-its SM (38%) mentioned most frequently. Lottery Game Play and Purchase Habits Lottery game play over the past year has increased slightly from the previous study, returning to the same level observed in November 2009 (51% of Oregonians). Despite an increase in past-year play, pastmonth play (30% of Oregonians) decreased slightly for the second consecutive study, falling five percentage points since November The percentage of Oregonians (5%) stating that they have started playing Oregon Lottery games within the past year has reached its highest level since May While overall playership remains stable, play frequency continues to reflect some decreases. Overall frequency of play was down this study (those playing one to three times per month decreased by six percentage points from the previous study). This finding is consistent across several game categories. Entertainment and fun continues to be the most important reason for purchasing Lottery games, followed by dream about winning big. Recall of Lottery Advertising Oregon Lottery advertising awareness (80%) increased significantly, returning to similar levels observed in In May 2011, our Oregon Wins benefits campaign was recalled by 59% of those who participated in this study, a seven point increase from the prior study. Of the study s participants that recalled Oregon Wins advertising, 36% mentioned seeing ads about Lottery dollars funding Environment / Parks and Helps Schools. Significant decreases were observed for those recalling Video Lottery SM (12%) and Scratch-it (24%) advertising (likely a result of decreased advertising for the games during the data collection period). *Aided: Interviewing/asking a question with examples included (i.e., Do you remember seeing any Oregon Lottery advertising or POP materials?) *Unaided: Interviewing/asking a question without an example, to see what the interviewee recalls on their own (i.e., What do you think/remember about the Oregon Lottery?) Oregon Lottery Sales Specialists Here to Assist You! Need help with your Scratch-it SM orders and inventory? Oregon Lottery Sales Specialists are here to assist you with just that! The staff at McKay s #14 in Lakeside has recently discovered how helpful Sales Specialists can be. Ellie Gage is the first point of contact at McKay s, and manages their Lottery to Go TM (LTG) machine. It takes careful planning and reporting on Ellie s part to ensure an adequate amount of tickets are available for their customers, and she and other members of the McKay s team strive to keep their LTG stocked every day. Ellie s Field Sales Representative, Kevin Pittz, informed her that Oregon Lottery Sales Specialists are available to assist retailers like her with any questions on Scratch-it orders and inventory. Ellie was amazed when she learned what her Lottery Sales Specialist, Keith Ashlock, could do for her. inventory management and ticket orders. Ellie says, Keith is now my hero! Below are some of the ways your Lottery Sales Specialist can assist you: Generate new ticket orders Help manage Scratch-it inventory for best sales results Provide up-to-date game and other Lottery information Explain new and upcoming games Help resolve ticket or inventory issues Remember, the Sales Specialists are here to fully assist you with your Scratch-it orders and inventory. Sales Specialists call Scratch-it retailers every two weeks, but are also just a phone call away for Scratch-it sales or inventory assistance! For more information on ways they can assist you, call the Sales Specialist team today at or request to speak to a Specialist through our Retailer Services staff at She learned that she did not need to run as many reports, or follow such in-depth processes just to place a ticket order. Today, she relies on Keith to assist and simplify her Ellie Gage, employee at McKay s in Lakeside.

5 Carson Davis Oil Company Turning Competition into Sales Are you looking for a great way to increase sales in your retail location? Try promoting a little friendly competition! Danny Jaszay, a staff member of Carson Davis Oil Company in Bend, challenges his co-workers by creating a competition to see who can sell the most Scratch-its during their shift. At the end of the week, staff members compare their results to find out who the winner is. SM This friendly competition has created excitement and an incentive for the staff at Carson s to make a sale. This enthusiasm, in addition to following Lottery best practices, has increased Scratch-it sales by 37% in a year-over-year comparison. The team at Carson s has worked so hard, in fact, their traditional product sales have increased by 79%! Not to mention, Carson Davis Oil Company was also our 2011 Scratch-it Challenge winner. We encourage you to add some friendly competition to your location, in order to help boost sales! Danny Jaszay, staff member at Carson Davis Oil Company Tax Form Reminder On or before January 31, 2012, the 1099 Annual Lottery Earnings Summary Report for calendar year 2011 will be mailed to you. If you have questions regarding expenses such as line charges or Amusement Taxes from your weekly invoices, please refer to the Fee Schedule section of your retailer contract. This fee schedule can also be found online at oregonlottery. org, under the About Your Lottery section. Click on Become a Retailer, then Retailer FAQs. Scroll down to Required Fees and Monthly Charges. For other questions, please call Hotline at SECURITY TIPS Validating Scratch-its SM Please remember to always validate every Scratch-it ticket before paying. If the Scratch-it is a non-winner, show the receipt to the player and return their non-winning ticket to them. If the Scratch-it is a winning ticket, show the player the validation receipt, pay the player (for prizes $600 or less), staple the receipt to the ticket, and deface (tear) the barcode on the ticket. Keep the receipt and ticket until you balance your cash drawer or till. If the winning ticket has a prize of over $600, you will need to return it to the player with the validation receipt. Do not tear the barcode on winning tickets over $600. Be sure to tell your player to sign the back of their ticket, and take their ticket to the Lottery office (or mail it with a Winner Claim form) to claim their prize. Celebrate the Season With a Victorian Riches Scratch-it If your players are looking for a Scratch-it to celebrate the wintery season, we ve got the perfect one for them! The new Victorian Riches Scratch-it features Victorian style homes in front of a snowy background. With this $2 ticket, players SM have a chance to win the $10,000 top prize. This particular Scratch-it is also unique, as it is a great gift idea for birthdays and other events that take place during the winter and after the holiday season has ended. Tell your players to pick some up today!

6 Odds vary by game played. Average Payout: 68%

7 NOVem be r S C ratc H- ITS Sm Gemstone Bingo Mammoth Money Crossword Ticket size - 4 x 6 Game Ticket price #858- $2 Theme - Bingo Ticket size -prize 4 x- $10,000 6 Top instant Ticket price $2 Prize payout % available - Over $1.9 million Prizes Theme - Numbers Second-chance drawing: (1) $10,000 Top instant prize - $7,777 Odds - 1 in 3.55 Prize payout % Tickets available - 1,500,000 Prizes available Number of packs-- 30,000 Over $1.4 million Pack size - 50 tickets Second-chance Retail pack cost -drawing: $100 Ticket size - 4 x 6 Ticket price - $2 Theme - Crossword Top instant prize - $15,000 Prize payout % Prizes available - Over $2.6 million Second-chance drawing: (1) $15,000 Odds - 1 in 3.54 Tickets available - 2,000,000 Number of packs - 40,000 Retail pack cost - $100 Game #878 Sparkling 7 s (1) $7,777 Odds - 1 in 3.80 Tickets available - 1,080,000 Game #886 Number of packs - 21,600 Ticket size tickets x 8 Pack size Ticket price - $5 Retail pack cost - $100 Theme - Money Cold Hard Cash Top instant prize - $50,000 Prize payout % Prizes available - Over $2.8 million Second-chance drawing: (1) $50,000 Odds - 1 in 3.62 Tickets available - 840,000 Number of packs - 16,800 Retail pack cost - $250 Game #908 Victorian Riches Game #921 Ticket size - 4 x 6 Ticket price - $2 Theme - Whimsical Top instant prize - $10,000 Prize payout % Prizes available - Over $1.4 million Second-chance drawing: (1) $10,000 Odds - 1 in 3.48 Tickets available - 1,080,000 Number of packs - 21,600 Retail pack cost - $100 D e Cem ber S C ratc H-ITS Blazing Saddles Bandit Cash Ticket size - 4 x 8 Ticket price - $5 Theme - Other Top instant prize - $50,000 Prize payout % Prizes available - Over $2.7 million Second-chance drawing: (1) $50,000 Odds - 1 in 3.45 Tickets available - 840,000 Number of packs - 16,800 Retail pack cost - $250 Ticket size - 4 x 2.5 Ticket price - $1 Theme - Whimsical Top instant prize - $1,000 Prize payout % Prizes available - Over $1.5 million Second-chance drawing: (1) $1,000 Odds - 1 in 3.63 Tickets available - 2,400,000 Number of packs - 12,000 Pack size tickets Retail pack cost - $200 Game #896 Game #928 Tattoo Sand Dollars Ticket size - 4 x 6 Ticket price - $2 Theme - Whimsical Top instant prize - $10,000 Prize payout % Prizes available - Over $1.4 million Second-chance drawing: (1) $10,000 Odds - 1 in 3.62 Tickets available - 1,080,000 Number of packs - 21,600 Retail pack cost - $100 Ticket size - 4 x 8 Ticket price - $5 Theme - Whimsical Top instant prize - $55,555 Prize payout % Prizes available - Over $2.4 million Second-chance drawing: (1) $55,555 Odds - 1 in 3.37 Tickets available - 720,000 Number of packs - 14,400 Retail pack cost - $250 Game #871 Game #889 Sm

8 NOVember HIgHlIgHTS November 1 Available Scratch-its SM : #878 Gemstone Bingo #908 Mammoth Money Crossword November 3 #786 Spunky Monkey NOVember 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Available Scratch-its: #878 & #908 #786 November 10 November 11 November 15 November November 30 #846 Jack O Lantern Veteran s Day, Lottery Office Closed Available Scratch-it: #886 Cold Hard Cash #921 Victorian Riches Thanksgiving Day, Lottery Office Closed #812 Super Tic Tac Toe #831 Jewels of the Nile #837 Lucky Strike Lanes Available Scratch-its: #886 & #921 # Thanksgiving Day - Lottery Closed Veteran s Day - Lottery Closed Lottery Closed #812, #831 & #837 DeCember 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Scratch-its TV, Radio & Digital Available Scratch-its: #896 & #928 Activations End: #849, #864 & #869 #851 DeCember HIgHlIgHTS December 2 December 6 December 9 December 20 Activations End: #849 Ink # Cash #869 Poker Night Available Scratch-its: #896 Blazing Saddles #928 Bandit Cash #851 Snow Cash Available Scratch-its: #871 Tattoo #889 Sand Dollars Scratch-its TV, Radio & Digital Scratch-its TV, Radio & Digital Scratch-its TV, Radio & Digital Available Scratch-its: #871 & # Christmas Day Observed - Lottery Closed #826 Activations End: #832 & #844 December 26 December 29 December 31 Christmas Day Observed, Lottery Office Closed #826 Ringo II Activations End: #832 Suits #844 Groovy Cash