【高端访谈】梅代尼察：我坚信互联网彩票对实体彩票点没危害
2016-04-27 22:27阅读：
【高端访谈】梅代尼察：
我坚信互联网彩票对实体彩票点没危害
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency is a part of
the US state of Maryland's history and economy. Established in
1973, it has provided revenue for the state of Maryland. The
fourth-largest contributor to the state's economy, the Maryland
Lottery has generated more than $13.3 billion in revenue since its
inception to support the state, including public health, public
safety, education
and the environment.
†
The Maryland Lottery is an independent agency of the Maryland
government. Its games include Mega Millions, Powerball,
Multi-Match, Keno, Bonus Match 5, and numerous scratch-offs. The
Maryland Lottery is headquartered in Suite 330 at 1800 Washington
Boulevard, in Montgomery Business Park, Baltimore. (Maryland will
add the multi-state Cash4Life on January 26, 2016).
†
The minimum age to buy Maryland Lottery tickets is 18; for video
lottery the minimum is 21 (see below for casinos).
†
Winning Maryland Lottery numbers are shown on local Baltimore
television station WBAL-TV. Maryland's largest Mega Millions
jackpot winner was for the March 30, 2012 drawing, which produced
the then world's largest jackpot, approximately $656,000,000. A
ticket sold at a Baltimore County 7-Eleven won a one-third share of
the jackpot (the other tickets were sold in Illinois and Kansas.)
As with the other two sets of winners in that drawing, the ticket
holder(s) chose the cash option, rather than the 26 yearly
payments.
†
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Lottery
I Do Believe That Internet Sales Would Not Harm Our
Retailers
†
LGR Introduction: Maryland Lottery and Gaming operates
a traditional lottery and oversees the state’s casinos, which were
launched in Maryland in 2010. With five casinos currently operating
and a sixth due to open in late 2016, Maryland’s casinos have
become a driver of robust revenue. The casino business has now
stabilized into steady and consistent growth. In Fiscal Year 2015,
Maryland casinos generated $1.038 billion in gross revenue and
accounted for $487 million in contributions to the state. Public
Gaming spoke with Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director Gordon
Medenica about the current state of traditional lottery, and the
agency’s ambitious plans to raise the performance in that
category.
†
Medenica was appointed to lead Maryland Lottery and Gaming in
May 2015. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Medenica served as CEO of
Northstar New Jersey, Director of the New York Lottery from 2007 to
2012, and as the president of the North American Association of
State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) from September 2011 to
September 2012.
†
【LGR】 Is there an
over-arching strategy for maximizing sales in 2016?
†
Gordon Medenica: We have four main priorities for 2016 and
the first is to build our instant ticket sales. Last year about 30
percent of Maryland Lottery sales were in instant tickets. Given
that the industry average in North America is 50 to 60 percent, we
see significant headroom for growth in this area. Our second
priority is to expand our network of retailers; given the
population of the state, I believe there is room for perhaps 500
more retailers. We’ve made some recent organizational changes,
which I believe will help us to focus more on this. Our third
priority is the effective execution of our central system RFP,
which will give us the latest technological advantages to support
our initiatives. And, our fourth priority is the opening of MGM
National Harbor in late 2016. The casino is currently under
construction and we’re engaged constantly with MGM’s people to
oversee that process. We expect the MGM casino to be our largest
and most profitable.
†
http://gaming.mdlottery.com/video-lottery-facility-location-commission/
†
【LGR】 That’s a lot on
your plate for one year. Casinos are a big contributor to your
overall results. Does that occupy a focus that overshadows
traditional lottery?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 It’s
fair to say that the rollout of Maryland’s casino program required
a disproportionate share of our time and attention. Implementing
the program—and doing it well—was, after all, a huge undertaking.
Now that our casino program is stable and performing well, we are
able to refocus our energies on the traditional lottery side and
work toward ensuring that all gaming categories are performing to
peak potential. Maryland experienced two consecutive years of
declining lottery revenue, in fiscal 2013 and 2014 and it wasn’t
until fiscal 2015 that the lottery returned to positive growth.
That said, we’re still not at the level that we were in fiscal
2012. We see tremendous opportunities for the lottery.
†
【LGR】 You see
opportunity in instants because you are under-penetrated in that
category. Is it correct to say that as important as the draw games
are, there is more that you can do from a marketing and
merchandising point of view to directly affect sales of
instants?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 We
look at our total game portfolio to find opportunities for growth.
For example, Maryland has a very strong daily numbers business,
built up over decades. In fiscal 2015, Pick 3 and Pick 4 accounted
for 29 percent of our sales. We also have a high-performing monitor
game category, with Keno and Racetrax, which constitutes about 24
percent of our total sales. These numbers are outstanding, but also
indicate that further growth may be limited. In contrast, everybody
in the industry is concerned about the trends in the big jackpot
games, although we’ve seen a real revival with the new Powerball
matrix. But growth in the draw game category is hard to find, as we
all saw with the failure of Monopoly Millionaires’ Club.
Nevertheless, we launched Cash4Life in January to add a new
multi-state draw game to our portfolio, and we are cautiously
optimistic that the game will do well in Maryland.
†
【LGR】 Is there much
crossover between the daily numbers player and the big jackpot
games player?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 No. I
believe the two are very different types of players. The daily
numbers players represent our core players who know what they want
and have specific numbers that they play multiple times each week.
For the most part, these are consistent players who are set in
their ways and less responsive to traditional marketing and
advertising. The games are among our biggest, very mature, and also
very stable and profitable, making them a key part of our
portfolio.
†
【LGR】 Do you have any
measure on the impact of casinos on lottery? Did sales go flat for
a couple years because lottery players diverted some of their
spending over to casinos?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 We did
a white paper for the legislature to study that, and while the
paper doesn’t make hard conclusions, we were able to draw some
inferences based on what we found.
†
The Maryland Lottery had two years of declining sales during
the rollout of the casino program, and a common perception in the
state was that it was due primarily to the introduction of casinos.
But as we looked at the reasons for that decline, the evidence also
pointed to a significant reduction in our lottery advertising
budget as a bigger factor than the implementation of casinos.
That’s not to say that there’s no crossover, but with our
advertising budget cut by 40 percent in 2010—dropping from $20
million to less than $12 million—I’m convinced that the reduction
in advertising was a major reason why performance
declined.
†
The impact of casinos is generally thought to hurt the
traditional lottery in two areas—instant tickets and Keno. But
sales of instant tickets are already so low here, the casinos
didn’t really impact them that much. Keno did take a hit, but
again, I believe that the reduction in advertising had a much
bigger effect. Last year Maryland casinos spent $46 million in
advertising compared to $12 million that was spent on lottery
advertising. It’s a share-ofmind problem, especially with the
casual or infrequent consumer. It’s not so much that lottery
players prefer casinos, but the promotion of gambling options in
consumer media was focused on casinos. We simply aren’t investing
enough money in advertising and marketing to tell our story, and as
a result we’re getting lost in the tsunami of other voices out
there. Daily Fantasy Sports, for instance, doesn’t seem to be a
direct competitor to lottery. But the massive advertising we’ve
seen from that industry overwhelmed the market, and it’s likely
that all of those commercials raised public awareness of fantasy
sports even if they take their market share from other sports
betting and not from lottery and other gaming options. And look at
Publisher’s Clearing House and other marketers that use promotional
techniques that increasingly look like lottery ads: Enter a
sweepstakes that gives you a chance to win $1,000 a day for life.
That sounds like a lottery ad! At the end of the day, consumers are
being deluged with promotional advertising that competes for their
attention. Without advertising, lottery gets lost in the mix of
more and more gaming options.
†
❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀
†
The casino market is really much more competitive with itself
than it is with other forms of gaming. We just need to make sure
that lottery is out there in front of the consumer so they are as
aware of us as they are of other gaming options. And that requires
advertising.
†
❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀
†
So, I think it’s simplistic and inaccurate to say that the
opening of casinos causes lottery spending to shift over to
casinos. The casino market is really much more competitive with
itself than it is with other forms of gaming. We just need to make
sure that lottery is out there in front of the consumer so they are
as aware of us as they are of other gaming options. And that
requires advertising.
†
【LGR】 Is it possible
that Mega Millions and Powerball could be in the mature stage at
which point it may be better business strategy to extract as much
profit as possible but to put your resources and investment dollars
into creating new markets for new products?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 I’m
not there yet. My feeling is that the big jackpot games will
continue to appeal to infrequent players, but we do need to find
ways to promote the large jackpots. When we talk about this idea of
“jackpot fatigue,” I think it’s more fitting to call it “media
fatigue.” We’re no longer getting free publicity when the jackpot
hits $200 or $300 million, which means the consumers won’t know
about it unless we advertise it. Unlike Pick 3 and Pick 4, I do
think that advertising works for the big jackpot games. The fact
that there was a $1.6 billion jackpot in the past doesn’t mean that
the consumer is no longer interested in a $300 million jackpot. But
the media may not treat it with the same breathless enthusiasm as
they once did. So I think we should keep the foot on the gas pedal
and continue to ramp up the media spend even when the jackpot is at
$300 million.
†
【LGR】 Does expansion
of retail depend on opening up big-box multi-state retailer
chains?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 No. We
would like to do that, but it’s hard to say how and when that will
happen in a big way. Our retailer recruitment effort is based on
the very simple best practice of increasing the per capita ratio of
retailers to consumers— perhaps by incorporating non-traditional
points of sale. When you look at outstanding performers like the
Massachusetts Lottery, the one common denominator is that they
simply have a denser ratio of retailers to consumers. Massachusetts
is about one retailer for every 900 consumers. We have one retailer
for every 1,300 consumers. It’s the difference between never having
to think about where to buy a lottery ticket because they’re sold
everywhere, and having to search for a lottery
retailer.
†
Lottery gift cards, play-at-the pump options and other
innovations could also serve to make the lottery more visible and
accessible to the consumer.
†
【LGR】 As an industry,
don’t we need to determine who pays the 1 percent or 2 percent fees
for cashless payments and some of the new
trade-styles?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 We
sure do. We could think of it as a form of advertising. One way or
another, we need to provide the consumer with these options. What
does having lottery gift cards on a rack at a Target mean to us,
and could we justify the fee as an effective form of advertising
and promotion?
†
【LGR】 Most U.S.
lotteries are prohibited from selling on the Internet. But you’re
pointing out that there is huge potential for making our products
more accessible and visible in the land-based channel.
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 I
think we all feel like we do plenty of online shopping, but in
reality, we still do most of our shopping in stores. Of all the
shopping done by the consumer, Internet-based e-commerce sales
represent less than 10 percent of total retail sales. That
percentage is increasing, but slowly. Land-based retail will
continue to be our connection to the consumer, and there is huge
potential for lotteries to improve retail strategies and methods.
This is good news. Retail is what matters, and we have lots of
opportunities to drive increased sales at retail.
†
【LGR】 What will you do
to increase the sales of instants?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 The
industry has benefited greatly from studies done by the community
of commercial partners. Pollard Banknote, Scientific Games and IGT
continuously analyze the instants marketplace, and the strategies
and approaches we employ are truly based on science. The long list
of variables, like price points, prize structures, themes,
branding, launch cycles and inventory management, are interacting
with each other in ways that produce a dynamic and complex
ecosystem. It is essential that these variables are coordinated and
timed properly. They should be considered together, as pieces of a
whole, and analyzed for the outcomes produced by the countless
combinations of those variables. Even after all these years, there
is still plenty of debate as to what the best practices should
be.
†
Consider launch cycles: Florida and Massachusetts do about
nine launches a year. Texas does 26. To my mind, there is lots of
room to grow the instants market simply because we’re still
figuring out the best ways to market them. As an industry, we’re
studying these huge differences in marketing strategies. As the
evidence points us in the right direction, I would expect the best
practices to be revealed, then be applied across the board and lead
to further growth in instants. So while there is ample opportunity,
there is also plenty of work that needs to be done to coordinate
all these variables into a coherent strategy.
†
Currently, there is a focus on understanding and segmenting
the different styles of play that we offer within the instants
category. There’s the extendedplay person, who likes the crossword
and bingo-style games, and that type of player is very different
from someone who likes to quickly scratch off the barcode to see if
she won. There are many options and opportunities for refining the
design and promotion of instants to appeal to the different play
styles.
†
【LGR】 You have managed
government relations and public relations especially well, with a
minimum of controversy over the rapid implementation of casinos.
What do you do to preserve positive relations with the general
media such that they don’t stir up controversy like they do in
other jurisdictions?
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗
Actually, there was controversy and debate throughout the
process. Much of it may not have made national news. But the local
media did report on the vigorous public debate over the decisions
to legalize and regulate casino gambling in Maryland.
†
【LGR】 But in other
states, the debate and wrangling among various interest groups
often continues to plague the process even after the legislature
approves a plan to build casinos. The process in Maryland seems to
have unfolded in a relatively orderly fashion, didn’t
it?
†
〖 G. Medenica
〗 We work hard to maintain complete transparency
with all stakeholders, including the media and all interest groups,
as well as the legislature. I think we can also commend the media
for its reasoned and balanced approach to public policy issues.
They listen to our story, they listen to the stories of others, and
they work hard to report in a way that serves the public’s right to
understand the issues. There are things we do to engender trust and
open communication with the media. But I also think that, in part,
we’re just fortunate to have local media that is serious about its
responsibility to report the news in ways that genuinely inform as
opposed to stirring up salacious controversy. Our Communications
team, led by Director of Communications Carole Everett, has done a
wonderful job of managing relationships with key people at outlets
like the Baltimore Sun and local broadcast media. They are
accessible to all the media, respond to their requests as promptly
as possible, and never dodge difficult issues. In fact, the more
difficult the issue, the more important it is to be accessible so
that others don’t shape the story. We always get them the
information they need in order to facilitate the most accurate
reporting.
†
【LGR】 You are very
proactive at anticipating the needs of the media and stakeholders
for full disclosure. Your monthly reports on the financial
performance of casinos, for instance, are amazingly detailed. You
even flag the pros and cons of the results, pointing out the facts
without making excuses.
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 When
you know that a question will be asked, it’s better to address it
up front than to wait for it to be asked. That forthright approach
establishes a foundation of confidence and trust that demonstrates
to the media our commitment to giving them the full story. We
report to our Commission every month, and everything that gets
reported to the Commission is public record. This includes details
like the number of petty crimes committed at the casinos, the
number of underage people found in a casino, the number of public
drunkenness and disorderly conduct offenses—just about everything
that stakeholders might want to know. It’s all a matter of public
record so we’re proactive about making it easy for the media to
access those facts. They still ask questions, but at least it’s in
a context that shows we’re not trying to hide anything. The media
is confident in our genuine desire for them to have the full story
and all the facts. Reporters have now come to expect it of us, so
we make ourselves fully accountable and meet those
expectations.
†
【LGR】 Adversaries to
lottery are constantly pushing their agendas onto the media that
result in stories that are not favorable to Lottery. The public
deserves to have the whole story reported in a fair and balanced
way. How can we be even more proactive at getting our story out
there so that everyone understands the valuable role that
government gaming performs for the public service.
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 I
think the Maryland Lottery’s success in this area can be attributed
to the legacy of Buddy Roogow. Buddy was such a larger-than-life
personality in this state. He had so many connections, not just in
the lottery world, but also the political world and the community
at large. Buddy was a warm, genuine, affable person that treated
everyone like a friend and as a result, everyone thought of
themselves in that light. I think we’re still benefiting from that
legacy, that memory of Buddy as a showman and character who was
beloved by everyone. He became the face of the Maryland Lottery,
and his personality became part of the brand that connects, not
just with the players but with everyone, including the
media.
†
【LGR】 You are also
proactive at engaging the support of important stakeholders like
retailers.
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 We do
try to avoid controversy as much as possible. For instance, I have
publicly stated our position that we are not pushing for the right
to sell lottery products online. I do believe that Internet sales
would not harm our retailers—that it would actually help the
lottery and retailers connect with the consumer in ways that would
benefit everyone. But our retailers don’t believe that. In fact,
they are dead-set against us making the products available on the
Internet. So, we have decided to align our strategies with the will
of our retailers. Preserving a positive relationship with our
retailers is simply a higher priority and so that’s where our
commitment lies.
†
【LGR】 Further to your
mission of positioning the lottery as aligned with the interests of
the people, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming has also become a
leader in responsible gaming.
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 Credit
for that really belongs to my immediate predecessor, Stephen
Martino. I inherited an excellent organization from Buddy and
Stephen. Regardless of when the initiatives originated, there is
now a very strong funding mechanism in Maryland for responsible
gaming. Last year that funding was almost $4 million. Because the
funding mechanism is tied to the numbers of slot machines and table
games in the state, funding will increase by nearly $1.5 million a
year when our sixth casino opens.
†
In 2010, the agency established the Maryland Alliance for
Responsible Gambling, which gives us a forum for collaboration
between our staff and the problem gambling treatment community and
other stakeholders. Last year we joined the World Lottery
Association and are now participating in their four-step process to
become certified at higher levels of responsible gaming. I think
all of those factors have contributed to the responsible gaming
community viewing the Maryland Lottery as their friend. And that
feeling is mutual.
†
【LGR】 Your Internet
and digital initiatives are not transaction-enabled. But you do
have a digital strategy that connects you to your online player in
non-transaction-based ways.
†
〖 G. Medenica 〗 We
have three mobile apps and numerous second-chance drawings that we
run through My Lottery Rewards, which is our customer loyalty
website. Last September we launched a new app which allows players
to scan their tickets to find out prize amounts and to enter those
tickets into their My Lottery Rewards accounts. Also, we are about
to launch an e-playslip capability for one of our apps. Players
will be able to create a playslip on their phones, and then flash
those phones in front of the scanners at retail locations to
generate a ticket.
†
In order to evolve with the marketplace and today’s consumer,
we’re embracing social media and digital media. While we’ve made it
a priority to integrate these more contemporary methods of
communication into our relationship with players, the retailer
still serves as the distribution partner for all things
lottery. ❀
†
程阳彩票博彩
