18 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025 Continued on page 38 Paul Jason: How has the system of street posts and kiosks operated by people with visual impairments or other disabilities changed or evolved over the last ten years? Ángel Sánchez: The nearly 21,000 people—each with a legally recognized disability—who make up ONCE’s main sales network are part of the fabric of our city and street life and reflect how our society has evolved. The changes we have experienced in this decade show everyone what we have been through together: from emerging out of a deep economic crisis to facing a pandemic that struck at the very core of our reality—human interaction— without forgetting the impact of the war in Ukraine, which brought the horrors of war back to Europe and opened Pandora’s box of inflation. We must always remember that, as an organization, we exist to serve society. The community of ONCE has continued to overcome challenges. We have expanded our portfolio of both proprietary and third-party products. We have broadened and improved our payment methods, making them safer, more secure, and more accessible. We have invested even more resources in responsible gaming and, as could not be otherwise, we have prioritized the quality of life of our people with new points of sale—our well-known kiosks—which allow us to bring our social, responsible, and secure lottery to all our customers with greater proximity and transparency. We have also worked to improve daily operations at non-fixed points of sale. This includes new portable stands that are more comfortable and better equipped; standardized, more professional, and easily recognizable uniforms; and greater comfort and security for our sales team. Over the past decade, we have strengthened our responsible gaming policy, ensuring consumer protection through specific commitments and action plans that have been integrated into our commercial communications, sales channels, and protocols for detecting problematic behaviors. We are committed to the WLA’s responsible gaming principles and are certified at the highest level—Level 4. We also meet the European Lotteries standard, which has granted us special recognition for achieving our fifth certification. We are especially concerned about protecting vulnerable groups and have developed and implemented a special plan for the protection of minors with 40 specific measures that clearly demonstrate our level of commitment. We have reinforced communication and training for our sellers, using the point-of-sale terminal as a tool to support this communication, and we run an annual mystery shopping program to ensure the effectiveness of these measures. Finally, we are also integrating our sales force into online accessibility, allowing our customers to locate our points of sale through updated technological solutions. How do you expect ONCE to change over the next three years? Á. Sánchez: We work to ensure that changes are always for the better—for both our people and our customers. We will continue to prioritize human contact in selling our lottery. That is our model. It is our reality, embedded in the organization’s DNA. We will therefore keep investing time and resources in expanding our improved kiosks and continually iterating our portable sales stand options. We are committed to internal innovation and active listening to solutions proposed from all levels of the organization, with continuous improvement programs and changes designed to make everyday work better and easier for everyone. For example, we are currently developing counterfeit banknote detection tools integrated in our terminals and analyzing payment systems that can block card use by minors. The ONCE system does much more than raise funds for good causes. Talk to us about how ONCE leverages its business operations to support a wide variety of activities and initiatives that advance broader social goals? Á. Sánchez: I always like to emphasize that our operational logic has not changed: we base our work on the strict control of the management of products and business processes, with all income fully reinvested in our social mission. Our core objective as ONCE is clear: to improve the quality of life for people who are blind or severely visually impaired, promoting their personal autonomy and full social and workplace inclusion. We provide social support to more than 71,000 affiliated blind individuals. From there, we extend that reality to everything we do: we seek inclusion and autonomy in all areas of life for people with other disabilities as well. We leverage the tools and capabilities acquired over years of experience to achieve similar goals across a broader range of societal needs. But our focus remains firmly fixed on the mission of serving our stakeholders, the community of ONCE. Knowing that Rome wasn’t built in a day, we have a clear vision. While we will continue to remind society of our purpose and our aspirations, we recognize that listening to everyone adds value. Towards that purpose, we are an active and driving part of the third sector. (The “third sector” refers to the network of non-profit and voluntary organizations—distinct from government and private business—that put their resources back into projects that help people and communities; that support social, cultural, or community objectives rather than distributing profits.) With Ilunion, and thanks to society and our lotteries, we have developed a unique business model, based on people and the pursuit of excellence. Our business model generates both economic and social benefits, diversification, and sustainability. We seek to create jobs for people with disabilities and those at risk of social exclusion, maintaining a balance between social and economic objectives. Helping people with disabilities build a life based on pride and ownership is as important as the funds generated by the sale of lottery tickets. Ilunion has six divisions (services, circular economy, hotel and hospitality, social and health care, communication, and consulting) and operates 50 lines of business with 535 workplaces across Spain. We are also particularly proud of opening ourselves up to international investment and development, as we now operate industrial laundry centers in Colombia focused on the social integration of people at risk of exclusion. Returning to Spain and focusing on the ONCE Foundation, our aim is full labor integration, and we invest in improving professional qualifications, job skills, and personal and professional abilities to increase employability. We will continue
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