Creating Lottery Winner Experiences of a Lifetime

Castello Di Amorosa - An authentically styled 14th-century Tuscan castle winery in the Napa Valley.

By Scientific Games February 16, 2024 NASPL Insights Online

With growing demand from consumers eager to travel and share their adventures, North American lotteries are responding with distinctive experiential prize packages offering opportunities to win cash and quench interest in once-in-a-lifetime, brand immersive trips that generate excitement, intrigue and lots of social media moments.

From the first DEAL OR NO DEAL winners’ event in 2007 to the WILLY WONKA GOLDEN TICKET game’s BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE – and an unprecedented chance to win up to $1 billion – the thrill of white glove experiences continues to wow players from lotteries across the U.S. with exciting winner trips tied to brands such as JAMES BOND, MONOPOLY and THE PRICE IS RIGHT over the years.

In fact, to date games produced by Scientific Games offering the opportunity to win experiential prizes represent more than USD$4.6 billion in retail sales. These games are a great investment that fill a niche in a lottery’s portfolio by taking prizes beyond cash for players.

Events like the thrilling, shopping-spree themed ULTIMATE DASH are now a mainstay and the $5 MILLION VEGAS CHALLENGE is a brand of its own with a fourth winners event coming in 2025. Planning is currently underway for a FAMILY FEUD-brand experience where winners will have the opportunity to attend a live taping of the beloved game show and win additional cash prizes, and the PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME ultimate prize package will feature a trip to pro football’s biggest game of the year in 2025.

“Lotteries want something different for their players. With 100+ licensed brands, creative possibilities for immersive trip experiences abound and we are continually innovating to make every event unique and exciting,” says Tina Hoover, VP of Licensing for Scientific Games. “Our teams are not only focused on working with the brands to create immersive experiences, but we’re also delivering white glove winner services that we’ve refined over the past 17 years doing prize trips for more than 5,000 lottery players.”

The winners receive an exclusive, personalized experience from the moment they are notified about their prize trip. And suffice to say, there are many memories during and following the trip shared that build awareness and engagement for their state lottery’s brand.

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THE SEVEN KINGDOMS EXPERIENCE is the next epic event in development by Scientific Games and is inspired by GAME OF THRONES, one of the most-watched HBO television series of all time. In partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment, North America’s newest multi-state branded Linked Games will offer trip winners (and one guest each) the ultimate opportunity to rule the realm in 2025. The trips are tied to GAME OF THRONES branded instant scratch, FastPlay and iLottery games.

Set in a medieval-style castle winery in Napa Valley, California, the event is set to thrill GAME OF THRONES fandom as the winners test their luck to win additional prizes. Upon arrival, trip winners will be randomly assigned to a group representing one of seven themed ‘Houses’ inspired by GAME OF THRONES. For each of these seven Houses, a Ruler (randomly selected before the event begins) will play on behalf of the House they represent.

The event will include three rounds of brand immersive games, giving trip winners the chance to win their share of up to $7 million. Round one will feature a live jousting tournament, followed by a prize bonus round for just the seven Rulers. For the third and final round, one Ruler will have the opportunity to spin a wheel for the chance to win additional cash prizes, to be split evenly among all members of their House.

Designed specifically with lottery players in mind, a welcome reception and curated local tours and activities in Napa and the surrounding area are included in the five-day/four-night trip. The trip is well-planned in advance with winners making their own activity selections and experienced coordinators on site catering to their needs.

“It’s all the extras like the white glove service and the branded events that players can’t get elsewhere.”

“Our brand-immersive experiences are not just your traditional lottery winners’ trip for two. It’s all the extras like the white glove service and the branded events that players can’t get elsewhere,” says Liz Johnson, Director of Licensing for Scientific Games.

Johnson shares that with participation, lotteries have access to a turnkey Linked Games marketing package for GAME OF THRONES lottery games including radio, TV, a retailer point-of-sale package and a promotional microsite.

“With lotteries of all sizes participating, we try to make it work. They see the value and understand what they are getting beyond the retail and digital games. Their players return happy from the prize trips, and they want to play again,” she shares.

Hoover agrees. “With experiential prizes, it’s not a great experience unless it’s a really great experience.”

NOTE: Scientific Games’ experiential prize game data does not include $5 MILLION VEGAS CHALLENGE or WAREHOUSE DASH events.

The logos associated with the Professional Football Hall of Fame, alone and in combination, and the words “PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME”, are trademarks or registered trademarks of the National Football Museum, Inc., and are used here with permission. All rights to the use of these marks are reserved. Unauthorized use is subject to civil and criminal penalties.

Creating Lottery Winner Experiences of a Lifetime

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