As both a lottery supplier and a lottery operator, INTRALOT brings to the table a unique combination of know-how and expertise. Our experience in jurisdictions around the world has provided us with important practical insights about the changing retail landscape and how lotteries can be part of the transformation.

INTRALOT offers a full spectrum of gaming solutions and services that addresses lotteries’, retailers’ and players’ needs driving lottery sales growth and increasing players’ retention rate. INTRALOT has successfully revamped the traditional retail shop into an engaging environment, where technological innovation, hardware solutions and advanced software offerings, are all seamlessly combined enhancing the omni-channel experience.

Transforming the retail experience

The rapid rising of e-gaming poses an additional challenge for retail gaming operators to attract and retain players in their shops. Customers get accustomed to the easiness and speed e-gaming offers; accompanied with the targeted communication and tactical campaigns run throughout the year, e-gaming has managed to create an ideal environment for the players to get informed, educated and ultimately play and interact with peers.

Convenience, proximity, and personalization are all aspects of the online gaming world that INTRALOT has incorporated into its vision of the retail experience. Our players are engaged in a continuous manner, from the moment they approach the store, utilizing the personal devices to deliver targeted messages and promotions at the time when they are most receptive to the opportunity. Inside the store, we have introduced new ways of interaction and a full paperless experience via personal devices aiming to increase players’ overall experience. Players’ journey is now enriched with the opportunity to interact with the products they intend to buy through self-service terminals and become more engaged and involved. We strive to create a new gaming experience rather than one more selling store.

INTRALOT’s Retail Shop of the future

For the first time INTRALOT has presented the “Retail Plus” at ICE 2016, in London. INTRALOT’s concept of the retail shop of the future entails products and solutions designed to specifically serve a vast variety of needs and requirements of both players and business partners. Among other innovations, INTRALOT presented its new product family, the Self-Service Terminal line (SST), the TapnBet concept incorporated through the Dreamtouch terminal, the Cinematic Betting experience that differentiates operators with premium and attractive content display, and the “Betting Entertainment” product family, which targets to add new exciting gaming concepts for complementing sports betting offering.

Retailer: The business ally for a successful lottery operation

Either as a lottery supplier or as a lottery operator, INTRALOT adopts a retailer and sales development program focusing on sales growth and operational efficiency. At INTRALOT our retailer selection policy is based on the principles of maximizing the sales potential of our product portfolio through the most efficient utilization of the operator's investment. The commercial attractiveness of the store and the reliability, credibility and the entrepreneurial spirit of the retailer are the most important priorities during the selection phase.

Members of our experienced field salesforce identify the most commercially attractive stores, under the rules and regulations set by local authorities. Each market in which we operate has a different sales channels mix taking into account the local market peculiarities, product mix and consumer behavior based on market research findings. INTRALOT operates in exclusive stores, convenience stores, coffee shops, kiosks, shopping malls, grocery/supermarkets, internet cafes, bars/restaurants, post office, gas stores, liquor stores, bookstore, pharmacy, street vendors, etc. In some markets INTRALOT operates its own stores, while in some cases INTRALOT operates flagship stores. Flagship stores make sense in high-end locations due to the potentially high operating expenses associated with such stores. These flagship stores also act as winnings payment centers or consumables and scratch card distribution centers.

INTRALOT works with promising retailers to assess the store potential based on demographics, local population and retail density data. INTRALOT assesses retailers’ capabilities in terms of sales effectiveness and customer service, and assess their reliability, credibility and entrepreneurship to ensure they will fulfil their contractual and financial obligations, comply with our responsible gaming policies, and apply our brand guidelines. INTRALOT concludes a commercial agreement with a retailer as soon as the pre-defined terms and conditions are being accepted. Agreement with a retailer is the starting point of retailers training and development to ensure alignment of skills and qualifications with the necessary infrastructure to execute sales and customer service at the desired levels.

In order to reward retailers for promoting and selling INTRALOT’s products to the final customer and maximize our customer acquisition and retention effectiveness, INTRALOT provides financial motivation through smart commission schemes to our retailers to drive sales. We also offer affiliate marketing programs in most of the markets where we have an online presence. The programs are oriented toward maximizing customer acquisition and retention. In addition to retailer commissions, INTRALOT offers a portfolio of retailer incentive programs that may be a flat fee, a gift, a trip, etc. Loyalty programs are also offered in some markets as incentives to the retailers and their employees. Incentives are tied in with sales targets and/or competitions, and both retailers and employees are eligible depending on the incentive principles.

“INTRALOT’s product strategy creates a new retail gaming experience for the player and secures long-term sales growth and operational efficiency for the lottery operator, while promoting industry’s best practices for responsible gaming.” Antonios Kerastaris, INTRALOT Group CEO

Responsible gaming

As a vendor to lottery operators, INTRALOT supports the principles and practices of responsible gaming. As a technology supplier we have been certified under the WLA's Responsible Gaming Framework for Associate Members. In the jurisdictions where we hold a license as an operator, the local subsidiary runs awareness campaigns, training programs, and outreach activities on responsible gaming in its retailer network.

The retailers and the retailers’ employees are contractually obliged to ensure the full compliance of the retailer with INTRALOT’s responsible gaming policy. Non-compliance with that guidance may result in immediate contract termination.

When INTRALOT is the operator, strict guidelines on responsible gaming practices are provided to all retailers. Players who are less than 18 years old are not allowed to participate in any game provided by our retail networks, and a strict age identification process is in place and constantly updated.

Retailers are obliged to display in-store responsible gaming promotion materials in all high traffic areas of the store and must follow a number of other specific rules. They should not encourage people to play beyond their means or as a way to recover past financial losses. They should not imply the certainty of financial reward or alleviation of personal and financial difficulties through gambling, nor that the chance of winning increases the longer one play. Under no circumstances should they suggest that skill can influence the outcome, promote gambling as an alternative to work or everyday responsibilities, promote the consumption of alcohol while playing games or offer unreasonable loyalty incentives linking further winnings to further gambling. Retailers are also prohibited from cooperating with or supporting links to credit facilities that offer immediate credit for the purpose of gambling.

Field sales staff ensures compliance with the INTRALOT responsible gaming policy through tactical visits or mystery shopping.

Retail store: the baseline of a successful lottery operation

Offering an attractive and functional playing environment is clearly of vital importance. Merchandising principles that optimize the retail space – such as TV screens to offer live gaming and other information, monitor games to offer variety and excitement, ticket checkers to offer convenience, and functional coupon holders to enhance accessibility – are just a few of the elements of a successful retail shop.

Above all, the personal touch provided by retailers, particularly in neighborhood stores, is a key component of the omni-channel approach advocated by INTRALOT. While we seek to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels, we continue to view the retail store as the baseline of any successful lottery sales operation.

“At INTRALOT, we continue to view retail as the cornerstone of any successful lottery operation. We have concentrated our efforts in revamping the traditional retail shop into an engaging retail environment for players enhancing a mutually beneficial and rewarding cooperation with our essential business partners, the retailers.” George Vassilaras, INTRALOT Retail Group Director