8 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • MARCH/APRIL 2026 From the Publisher Team Lottery is navigating a moment of quiet but profound disruption. The gamesof-chance marketplace is expanding rapidly, shaped by digital innovation, an explosion of new gaming options, evolving consumer expectations, and regulatory developments that simultaneously create opportunity and uncertainty. Faced with faster, more immersive, more lucrative games — and more economically aggressive competitors — the first impulse may be to respond in kind, offering higher prize-payouts, faster play, and more stimulating experiences in pursuit of competitive parity. Yet this moment raises a deeper strategic question: Does long-term success depend on becoming more like commercial gaming, or on more confidently embracing the qualities that have always made lottery different? As lottery emerges from a monopoly era into a marketplace defined by consumer choice, operators are re-examining how the lottery experience should evolve to engage digital-native players while preserving the trust, accessibility, moderation, and social acceptance that remain lottery’s greatest strengths. The challenge ahead is not simply adaptation but clarity — modernizing the player journey and retail experience in ways that ensure lottery remains unmistakably lottery in a rapidly changing world. Which brings us to our conference theme (Smart-Tech Ft. Lauderdale, March 10–12): What does it mean to be a “Lottery” in 2026 and beyond? Welcome to everyone joining us; with well over 250 attendees, this marks the highest participation ever for a PGRI conference. As always, we videorecord presentations and panel discussions and make them available at PGRItalks. com. Executive summaries are published in this magazine, on PublicGaming.com, or both, extending the conversation well beyond the event itself. This issue highlights sessions focused on iLottery as well as current and future initiatives of the MultiState Lottery Association (MUSL). The theme of defining lottery’s future was explored further last month at the EL/ WLA Marketing Seminar in Barcelona. Lottery is far more than gambling; it is an experience rooted in dreams, emotions, and aspirations. Its value proposition cannot be fully measured by prize-payout percentages or game mechanics alone. Connecting with players at that deeper level requires telling a rich and authentic story — the story of lottery and what it represents for players, beneficiaries, and society. My thanks to Teams EL and WLA for a timely and outstanding conference, and to EL President Romana Girandon for a thoughtful interview that examines how lottery’s societal role can be translated into actionable strategy. A conversation with NASPL President Brian Rockey at last year’s conference evolved into the interview ‘This Isn’t Your Father’s Oldsmobile’, continuing this exploration of how lottery can preserve its identity and core values while evolving to compete for the attention and participation of today’s consumer. Brightstar Lottery is likewise helping shape the industry’s next chapter. Scott Gunn, appointed last year to lead North American Lottery operations, shares an expansive vision in The Future Won’t Wait — Why Should Lottery? In this interview, Scott outlines strategies and actions positioning lotteries for what is becoming one of the brightest eras in their history. My sincere thanks to our editorial contributors — Brightstar Lottery, Scientific Games, Aristocrat Interactive, Pollard Banknote, Splashdot, and LottoResearch’ Simon Jaworski — whose insights continue to enrich the dialogue across our industry. This issue also introduces PGRI’s AI Lab. Thinking, Amplified. I regularly engage with AI large language models as thinking partners — exploring emerging trends, testing ideas, and examining how the industry may evolve in the years ahead. We are now sharing selected insights from those conversations as articles developed through human judgment and AI-assisted exploration. Excerpts appear here, with the full articles available at PublicGaming.com. Looking ahead, the industry calendar remains full. Upcoming events include EL Industry Days in Marrakech (June 7–10), the NASPL Professional Development Seminar in Seattle (July 27–30), the NASPL Annual Conference & Trade Show in Orlando (Sept. 21–24), PGRI Lottery Expo Nashville (Oct. 20–22), and the World Lottery Summit in Sydney (Nov. 9–12). Visit european-lotteries. org, naspl.org, and PublicGaming.com for additional information about these conferences and our ongoing services. Paul Jason, Publisher Public Gaming International Magazine
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTg4MTM=