10 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2026 PGRI INTERVIEWS Hoch Zwei Photography Paul Jason: How has the year been going for NASPL, and for you personally as president? Brian Rockey: There is no shortage of exciting work going on at NASPL; retail modernization, RFP best practices, responsible gaming, mentorship—you name it. I’m excited to add to that list raising awareness of the impact of our industry. In a setting like a conference or a panel discussion or an interview like this, we need to stay mindful of the reach our words can have. The lottery industry does operate in the public policy arena. We’re public enterprises, stewards of the public trust. So when we communicate internally, externally, on stage, in press, it helps to be thoughtful and on-point. That same principle applies to how we present the lottery story more broadly. It isn’t enough to “be right.” We have to be specific, intentional, and consistent, because audiences are hearing us through filters: legislative filters, media filters, competitor narratives, and their own assumptions about what lottery is. We need to be clear about our “why”. You’ve said one of your priorities is “getting outside our industry.” Why is that so important right now? B. Rockey: We do ourselves no favors by thinking we are so different, so unique that there’s not much we can learn from others. Of course, lotteries are different, even unique in many ways. Unlike commercial marketdriven enterprises, the lottery belongs to the public, and exists to serve society and good causes. That changes the nature of our mission, and it changes the story we have to tell. Even so, we are still a business like any other in the sense that we have customers, products, distribution, competition, and the need to innovate and evolve. I think we should focus on those commonalities as that is where we will find inspiration for insights and learnings. First, let’s integrate our unique role of generating value for the common good right into our story as consistently as possible. If a soft drink company says, “Listen to our story,” it may be an interesting brand story, but it’s still fundamentally about private market competition and in the service of private shareholders. When a lottery says, “Here’s who we are and what we do,” it’s about creating meaningful beneficiary impact that serves the public instead of individual stockholders. We support programs that touch people’s lives. We operate within a regulatory framework designed to protect players and public trust. We contribute to state finances in ways that benefit taxpayers, communities, and public services. Ours is a story worth telling, precisely because it extends beyond great products, service, and operational excellence. But when it comes to carving out a role in a hotly contested consumer market, we are competing for market share, for consumer mind-share and engagement, for retail space, media attention, and to increase sales and net earnings, just like our counterparts in the world of private shareholders. “Audiences are hearing us through filters: legislative filters, media filters, competitor narratives, and their own assumptions about what lottery is. We need to be clear about our why.” “This Isn’t Your Father’s Oldsmobile” Why the Competitive Moment Feels Different, and Why Lottery Must Think and Act More Like a Modern Consumer Brand in a Competitive Market. Brian Rockey Director, Nebraska Lottery and President of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL)
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