36 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 Get ready to be inspired! Engaging Stakeholders, Owning the Narrative, and Getting Loud About the Mission! — continued from page 29 Alec Thomson took a broad view of community presence: “I think of every engagement as filling a cup of social capital,” he said. “Sponsorships, community events, legislative briefings— each one is a deposit. And when you need support, that’s the cup you drink from. The trick is to say ‘yes’ as often as you reasonably can, or at least point people to the right partners if you can’t do it yourself.” He also warned against doing community engagement on autopilot: “Our strategies have to evolve with the industry and the community,” Alec said. “You can’t just do the same slate of events year after year and call it stakeholder engagement. Look at what’s happening in gaming, in entertainment, in your local communities—and tailor your approach.” Making Media Your Megaphone, Not Your Enemy Media came up again and again—not as a threat, but as a tool that lotteries must learn to use better. Dolly’s state is anonymous, which makes traditional “big winner” stories harder to tell. Her answer is relentless storytelling. “I’m lucky to have a PR rock star on staff,” she said. “She turns everyday wins into human stories, things like ‘Clerk prints wrong ticket, customer wins $100,000’, and pushes out press releases constantly. On slow news days, those ‘cute little stories’ are exactly what the state paper wants. And stakeholders in South Carolina read that paper. That’s how they see the good we do.” Adam’s team in Minnesota has built a system that makes it easy for overworked newsrooms to say yes. “Most newsrooms are running on a skeleton crew,” he said. “We don’t just send a press release. We send the story written in publishable form, with photos, captions—everything. In many cases, they run it almost verbatim. If you do the work for them, you’re a lot more likely to see your message in print.” But Adam believes the most powerful stories are the ones the lottery doesn’t tell directly. “Earned media is most effective when it’s someone else speaking on your behalf,” he said. “If I stand up and say, ‘We’re doing great work for the environment,’ that’s one thing. If the Minnesota Zoo brings baby turtles in front of the cameras and says, ‘Thanks to Minnesota Lottery players, these turtles have a future,’ that’s a different league. Same with winners. It’s more compelling when they say, ‘Now I can buy a snowblower,’ instead of us saying, ‘Someone won.’” Brian emphasized that Nebraska builds media hooks into its operational calendar. “For instance, we transfer proceeds quarterly,” he said. “That’s four natural news windows a year. We coordinate with our partners to tie those to stories about college scholarships or conservation grants and other beneficiaries. Our public information officer has nurtured relationships with a small number of reporters who still cover local beat stories. It’s not glamorous, but it works.” Helene, battling a shrinking local news ecosystem, echoed that sentiment: “We’ll do everything the other lotteries do—press releases, photos, feel-good stories,” she said. “But in a state dominated by a single chain of papers with fewer and fewer reporters, getting picked up is hard. That makes social media, direct outreach, and creative content even more important.” Alec underscored the emerging role of digital channels: “Younger audiences are getting news from TikTok and other platforms, whether we like it or not,” he said. “We launched a TikTok channel to be where our future players and voters already are.” When the Story Turns Negative The panel also tackled what happens when coverage goes sideways. Harjinder inherited California’s lottery after a period of negative headlines about prior leadership. “We had to do a full reset,” she said. “Not defensiveness—transparency. We made a conscious decision that when something was wrong, we owned it quickly, corrected it, and communicated clearly. The only thing worse than bad news is silence. Silence lets other people define who you are, and lets the audience coalesce around negativity.” Helene was blunt about dealing with inaccuracies. “If a story misquotes you or uses the wrong data, you have to call it out,” she said. “Do it respectfully, but do it. Ask to talk to the reporter. Say, ‘Here’s what I actually said, here’s the real number.’ And don’t be afraid to ask, ‘Can I see the story before it goes live?’ or to go off the record and back on the record as needed. You’re protecting the integrity of the institution.” Brian added a crisis-communications principle: “In a crisis, regular, concise communication is crucial,” he said. “Get the facts, get your narrative straight, and share updates as the situation evolves. Radio silence is rarely the best response. Making yourself available to answer questions shows confidence and competence—even when the news isn’t great.” Adam distilled it down: “Fast and accurate,” he said. “If something negative happens, you can’t hide from it. You address it quickly, you get your facts straight, and you correct inaccuracies wherever they appear. That’s how you earn credibility.” Brand, Mission, and the Battle for Relevance The conversation ended where it began: with the mission. Dolly’s team in South Carolina leans heavily into beneficiary-focused advertising. “We rarely advertise just the product,” she said. “Most of our campaigns feature real people whose lives have been changed by lottery-funded scholarships. We want viewers to think, ‘Buying a ticket is how I support stories like this.’ It’s not just about chasing the jackpot.” Brian described Nebraska’s approach as “sustained beneficiary messaging.” “We run a steady baseline of beneficiary advertising, not just big bursts,” he said. “It may not be the largest piece of the budget, but it’s a constant reminder that lottery is about more than a winning number—it’s about education, the environment, and community.” Alec talked about weaving product and mission together. “Our ‘Love to Play’ campaign is both product-focused and beneficiary-focused,” he said. “The message is: you can love the game and love the impact you’re having on the community at the same time. And then we make sure that message reaches people Continued on page 44
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