Newsletter – Smartplay International

Automate Lottery Draws with OriginConnect

darrell.smith@smartplay.com — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 14:25:30 +0000

Last summer, we went live with an automated and connected version of our Origin® Digital Draw System we aptly named OriginConnect™.

OriginConnect™ connects directly to the retail POS system which triggers the draws after sales close, or it can run autonomously on a schedule. Since July 2019 for example, OriginConnect™ has run Vietnam’s Vietlott 10-minute Keno game, but the system can be used to run any game of any frequency.

OriginConnect™ though is not exclusively for traditional lotteries. It can be integrated into any iGaming platform to further differentiate your games from your competition. Random draws powered by Smartplay adds credibility and transparency – characteristics increasingly important to players as more iGaming sites enter the market.

OriginConnect™ distributes the winning numbers in several ways including; entry into a SQL database, sending directly to your POS or lottery management system, broadcast partners, or simply emailing a PDF draw report to the staff.

For more robust distribution of results directly to your players, we have created our Results Display Server (RDS) product. The RDS can distribute results directly to retail displays, mobile apps, and your website. In the case of Vietlott, every 10 minutes the RDS sends draw results to thousands of monitors in retail betting shop across the country.

If you are looking to automate some aspect of your current draw process, add new games, or utilize a third-party RNG for any online or mobile draw game, OriginConnect™ is a perfect fit.

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Casino Promotion Ideas

darrell.smith@smartplay.com — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 13:31:24 +0000

Create excitement on the casino floor by using a lottery-ball machine for dozens of creative casino promotion ideas.

More and more properties are incorporating lottery-style promotions into their monthly casino promotions. You can go with traditional lottery theme, or consider the draw machine as a prize board which greatly expands the themes and concepts. A lottery machine can be used for “add em up” style games where the player must total to a certain number of points, yards or dollar amount. Or, maybe you collect certain colors or symbols. With the draw machine, you don’t need an envelope, which makes the draw result faster and more visual for your players. Below are a few concepts to get start. Contact Smartplay for more casino promotion ideas.

Color Match

The more colors you match the more you win.
Example: five orange balls and 20 white balls are placed inside the chamber.
The player wins depending on how many orange balls are drawn.
A prize legend shows how much is won for each number of orange balls drawn.
Additional colors could be added for various combinations of prizes. Colors could coordinate with seasons, events or property colors.
Equipment options: Jupiter, Casino Pick, Standard Daily.

Add Em Up

Balls are loaded into the machine based on desired odds and prize table.
Each ball is numbered with easily addable amounts (e.g. 10, 25, 50, 75).
The contestant wins revealed amount x 10 (or some other multiplier).
If balls add up to a specific number (e.g. 200), the player wins the grand prize. Certain balls or amounts could be designated for special prizes.
Bonuses could be added for revealing various color balls.
Equipment options: Jupiter, Casino Pick.

Themes and twists to the above casino promotion concept:

Turn up the Heat
- A giant thermometer scoreboard is placed by the draw machine. Numbers on the ball are “temperatures.”
- As numbers are selected, the temperature goes up and the player wins more money. Or player reaches prize levels as they move up the thermometer.
- Player progress is noted on the thermometer scoreboard.
Race To Riches
- Bring two or more players on stage.
- Draw numbers from the machine for each player. The first player to make it to a certain number is the winner.
- Create a prize board that tracks a path for each contestant toward the big money.
- If one player totals an exact specified amount (e.g. 100) they win an insured or guaranteed grand prize.
Race (colors and numbers) – for an added twist, use multi-colored balls with numbers. Contestants are each assigned a color. The host selects balls and numbers revealed are applied to the contestant matching the ball color selected.
Football Cash – Similar to race concept, the numbers revealed are yardage amounts. Two “teams” are playing each other, trying to make it to the end-zone first. Football field prize board adds to the visual presentation. This same idea could be used for other themes — horse racing, auto racing, track, and field, etc.

Big Prize Lotto

Create a giant scratch ticket prize boards.
Player removes an envelope or scratches the face of the board to reveal numbers, colors or other bonuses.
Lottery balls are then revealed one at a time on stage and prizes are awarded accordingly based on matches.

Roulette Riches

This is a promotional game that plays similar to roulette.
Players place their game pieces (e.g. colored discs) on colors and/or numbers or number ranges on the prize board.
Lottery balls are drawn and players earn points or dollars based on the result.

Color Match – Version 2

MultiPick draw machine draws multi-colored balls. Multi-colored balls are placed in the chamber.
The object is to reveal two or more balls of the same color. As long as you do, you continue to progress. The player could have one or more “saves” so they don’t lose on the first attempt.
Equipment options: MultiPick 2, MultiPick 3, MultiPick 4.

Draw Numbers Around The Clock

What about running a lottery-style casino promotion year round? In many parts of the world, Smartplay lottery machines run continuously, drawing balls every 5 or 10 minutes for web-streamed promotions and games. Imagine a “draw station” in your casino, posting winning promotion numbers every 30 minutes. Give patrons an incentive for staying on the property with a chance to win. Create a permanent fixed location for a drawing machine in a high-visibility location inside the casino. Draws are made at regular times and automatically posted to a display located next to the draw machine. These results could also be fed to other monitors on the property. Guests could participate in various ways:

Distribute scratch cards, which could be designed to play one or more games. More secure cards could be distributed for higher-value prize giveaways.
Integrate with slot tickets and print draw number on the ticket based on slot play.
Send a text message (see below).
Deliver codes through loyalty kiosks.

Players could win tickets which play for the next drawing. Tickets could be good for one or more of the automated drawings. For example, a ticket could say “good for any drawing on Wednesday” or “good for any drawing between 4 and 6 pm in June”. This process could also be automated, based on visit frequency, coin-in, etc.

Text a Winning Number

This concept would use the Draw Station noted above.
The guest gets a random number between 1 and 200 texted to their phone every 30 minutes.
The player can walk by the machine at any time to see if their number matches. If the number matches, they get X in free play.
The player is only eligible if they are on the property and can show the text on their phone to validate. A number must be registered with the player club in order to win (additional rules created by property may apply).

This is just start. Contact Smartplay for more casino promotion ideas and a list of our lottery-machine rental inventory items.

The post Casino Promotion Ideas appeared first on Smartplay International.

Random Thoughts Newsletter

darrell.smith@smartplay.com — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 18:27:14 +0000

Making Sense of the RNG

Lotteries face challenges communicating how draws are conducted with an RNG. Our approach has always been that the digital draw needs to duplicate the process and formality of a mechanical draw — creating a physical process that you can explain to the consumer. Here’s two videos produced by the Colorado and Illinois Lotteries that do a good job in explaining the overall process to help consumers understand how the numbers are drawn.

More on the Origin RNG Draw System

Illinois Lottery

Colorado Lottery

OLG’s Big Spin a Winner!

Ontario Lottery Group’s new Big Spin Instant Game game is getting big results. Thanks to Lindsay Magli and the OLG team for giving Smartplay the opportunity to create the grand prize wheel. At Lafleur’s Lottery Conference last month in Austin, Adam Caughhill outlined the Big Spin’s incredible launch results and how they have creatively marketed the game throughout Ontario.

Grand Prize Spin

Big Spin Promo Video

NJ Lottery Studio Transformation

NJ Lottery’s transformation of HQ office space into a highly efficient drawing studio is a model of efficiency. Big impact in a small space. Video and automation tools makes distributing live draws via web, TV and retail possible at a much lower cost.

Custom Jupiters make their way to Moscow

Stoloto’s beautiful new lottery center opened in Moscow featuring Smartplay’s Jupiter draw machines. These unique models are auto-reloading and run on a schedule completely hands-free. We enjoyed collaborating with Stoloto’s team in designing the new equipment during their several visits to our facility. Smartplay’s technician, John Wheat, was also delighted to visit Russia and help Irina Palivoda and the rest of the Stoloto team launch the new games! You can see their modern new showroom and live draws at stoloto.ru/live.

We want your old machines!

Please contact Smartplay about any used draw equipment before disposal or packing it away for storage.

ICE around the corner

Stop by our booth at ICE Totally Gaming Expo to be held at the ExCel, London, February 6-8, 2018 (booth is S8-336).

NEW SERVICES . . .

High Frequency Draw Support Packages

Many customers are now conducting draw events every five or ten minutes rather than once a day or once a week. We’ve designed some new support and maintenance packages to address higher frequency usage and keep machines running smoothly.

New Faces @ Smartplay

Stacey Otake joins us as administrative assistant. Stacey is a recent graduate of St. Joseph University and speaks fluent Spanish. She most likely will be the first person you speak to if you call so please say hello. Shown in picture: Acrylic fabricator Paul Priestley, Stacey Otake, print technician Janice Norton and cabinetmaker and technician Daniel Fitzpatrick.

SmartStats 2017

A few weeks left in the year and no signs of things slowing down. Here’s some stats for the year to date. We are thankful in this holiday season for our customers all over the world.

115 Traditional Machines Delivered
18 Origin Digital Systems Delivered
400,000 Miles Traveled for Maintenance & Installations
20,000 lottery balls manufactured

Recent Deliveries

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