22 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025 MUSL team and all the board of directors for their leadership. We’re four weeks out from the rollout of the enhanced Mega Millions. We are very excited to see how the market responds. A shout-out to the Mega Millions consortium for managing significant changes across many lotteries. At the same time, directors and staff have been working on a national “For Life” game. We currently have Cash4Life and Lucky for Life, both performing well. But there’s an opportunity to combine them into something even more compelling. We’re starting research this month with plans to finalize decisions by April and aim for a Q1 2026 launch. This could attract a broader—and younger—demographic. Jay Finks is also chairing the NFL product group. Working with the NFL is no small feat, but we’ve got something exciting planned for fall 2026, just ahead of football season. The idea is to fill in the revenue valleys between the jackpot peaks of Powerball and Mega Millions. The “For Life” and NFL products could help level those cycles. And finally, Sarah Taylor and the development committee are looking at ways to refresh Powerball. We’re very early in the process and watching how Mega Millions performs before making big changes. But changes to Powerball require years of planning. Nothing would happen until 2027 at the earliest. Overall, we’ve got some strong opportunities ahead to grow revenue and support good causes. Matt Strawn: Thank you, Bret. That aggressive timeline last year really helped our members work with system providers to coordinate their own state initiatives around national games. I think the response has been very positive. And shout-out to Mary Harville from Kentucky, who’s been our liaison with the Mega Millions consortium. Most of us are through testing and ready for the change. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this rollout also creates a window for jurisdictions not yet offering Double Play to jump in. We’ve seen a solid lift in Powerball sales with Double Play—23 jurisdictions now offer it, and two more are preparing to add it in the next 6–12 months. As Bret mentioned, game development starts in MUSL committees. These committees do the heavy lifting, and chairs are working chairs. Sarah, you and I spent time earlier this week reviewing plans. Would you share an update? Sarah Taylor: Thanks, Matt. Honestly, I was hesitant to chair this committee. It’s a lot of hard work, and not every idea crosses the finish line. But the timing worked well—we completed Phase 1 research on Powerball with Simon last year and Phase 2 qualitative with Angus Reid this year. That research helps support new initiatives. I’ve also been focused on timelines. Bret’s probably tired of hearing me talk about them, but locking in timelines really matters. We’re reviewing 2by2 and Lotto America as well, looking for ways to lift their sales. However, Powerball remains the biggest opportunity. Value proposition is a key theme. We’ve heard that repeatedly in the research— especially from younger demographics. Good cause messaging matters, but only when it’s clearly communicated. Many players still don’t know where the money goes unless it’s a high-profile program like Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship. We need to be more strategic in how we spend our marketing dollars. This week we invited four vendors to share ideas for Powerball. Some were simple, some more ambitious. Simple ideas—like redesigning the ticket—could help newer or lapsed players and younger audiences understand the game. Others proposed changes such as new draw days or pricing options. All of these suggestions are under review. We also discussed potential international Powerball sales and how that could impact product strategy. There’s more to come, but those were a few of the teasers. Matt Strawn: Sarah, music to my ears. Once over half the jurisdictions adopt Double Play, it makes sense to consider making it standard. Much to discuss. You mentioned the research, and it’s already being used by MUSL’s marketing and promotions committee and the NFL product group. Jay Finks, you’ve got a full plate— give us an update on national marketing. Jay Finks: Thanks, Matt. A lot of exciting things underway. NASCAR is still on the promo list, but the upcoming NFL game has opened even more doors. We’re getting calls and emails from brands wanting to partner with Powerball now that the NFL relationship is public. Some of these are traditional sponsorships, but some offer revenue potential we can reinvest into marketing. We’ve had interest in a national game show featuring Powerball or Mega Millions. We’re meeting with Team USA about Olympic collaborations. And we’re working on improving our national social media presence. We’ve also partnered with Splash Dot to launch a national Powerball app by year-end. The app will support brand engagement and second-chance promotions. It’s a key piece of the NFL game, which we’re finalizing now. Thirty-six states—covering over 200 million people—are already signed on. We expect to reach the mid-40s in the next few months. The game is a $5 Sunday “The NFL is invested in developing the game and partnering with us.” “And beyond the NFL, this collaboration has shown us what’s possible when Powerball and Mega teams work together. We need to merge resources, get everyone in the same room, and amplify our reach.” Continued on page 47
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