38 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025 Now picture a cloud-native restaurant. If 50 guests come in, it operates efficiently. If 500 show up, it instantly expands: more prep stations, tables, staff, no drop in service quality. That’s the cloudnative difference: dynamic response without costly infrastructure changes. Shannon DeHaven: And how does migrating legacy solutions to the cloud differ from your cloudnative example? Pedro Melo: It’s like moving the same 50-seat restaurant to a new spot but when demand rises the walls are still in the same spot and there’s no consideration for more prep stations, tables and ect. - increasing complexity and limiting scalability. Migrating to the cloud may check the cloud box technically, but it’s still constrained by the same on-premise architecture. It doesn’t unlock the same agility, efficiency, or innovation lotteries need today. Shannon DeHaven: That agility is key, especially for speed to market. How does cloud-native impact that? Pedro Melo: In a big way. Cloudnative systems are modular, letting you add new features, games, or integrations without overhauling the whole platform. It’s like a modular kitchen where you add a new station as demand grows, without tearing down walls or disrupting the rest. It’s also like having universal kitchen outlets: you can plug in kiosks, apps, or loyalty tools without rewiring. APIs make adding new games, payments, or tools seamless and future-proof. For lotteries, this flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of modern, well-architected solutions. You can quickly launch, test, and adapt in days, not months, without slowing down or risking platform stability, just as we did with Kansas iLottery. Shannon DeHaven: Considering the nature of jackpots, scalability is another critical factor, especially where traffic spikes happen overnight. Pedro Melo: Exactly. Cloud-native architecture means scalability is automatic. If a Powerball jackpot spikes, the system expands in real time. If there’s a lull, it contracts again: no manual effort, no overbuilding capacity “just in case.” You’re not guessing demand. The system adapts as it happens, driving cost efficiency and peace of mind. Shannon DeHaven: Security is always a high priority. What’s the cloud-native advantage? Pedro Melo: Cloud-native systems approach security differently. Updates happen continuously in the background, often multiple times a day: patches, vulnerability fixes, compliance tweaks. No downtime, no manual deployments, no waiting for maintenance windows. You stay protected, always. It’s security by design, not an afterthought. Shannon DeHaven: When lotteries evaluate their options, what’s the key takeaway they should keep in mind? Pedro Melo: It’s not just about moving to the cloud. It’s about what you’re building for. Migrating systems might feel like progress, but they’re the old model in a new place. Lotteries should watch for outdated systems and the growing challenges they bring. Upgrading them can be disruptive for both customers and vendors. Cloud-native platforms like the Pollard Catalyst™ iLottery Platform set you up to move faster, scale smarter, stay secure, and deliver what players expect. But it’s more than technology. It’s a long-term investment that helps your lottery grow, adapt, and innovate in a fastmoving market. n investing resources in technological solutions that enable more people to join an increasingly complex labor market. We also fund initiatives by other organizations that carry out activities aligned with our objectives. In 2024, we co-financed 2,234 projects, focusing on employment and training (68% of funds) and universal accessibility (32%). We also signed a total of 219 collaboration agreements. But above all, we will continue listening to society—its demands and needs—so we can respond effectively and apply our expertise to improving the lives of people with disabilities. We hope to continue growing, knowing that 2024 closed with record figures in all our areas of activity — not just sales, but metrics on our impact on society, the community of ONCE stakeholders, and a wide variety of KPIs. What truly matters to us is that these figures directly reflect the underlying human reality. Everything we are and do, we owe to Spanish society, and we will never fail it—always doing what we say and saying what we do. We will continue to demonstrate how the sale of social, responsible, and secure lotteries can create opportunities for those who need them most, while fostering social values of solidarity, inclusion, and sustainability. n How ONCE is Redefining the Social Economy and Reinventing the Role of State Lotteries — continued from page 18
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