Adele Lawton, lottery industry expert and head of content development for Brightstar iLottery Game Studios, offers an insider perspective on eInstant jackpot games.

Are eInstant jackpot games the key to unlocking iLottery’s full potential? Many lotteries are already seeing results by integrating these games into their portfolios.

From boosting player engagement to driving significant revenue growth, eInstant jackpot games have proven to be powerful tools for success in the evolving iLottery landscape.

When paired with the right strategies, these games offer lotteries a unique value proposition that stands out among competitive entertainment options.

Standout performers

Based on results reported by lotteries worldwide, eInstant jackpot games are quickly becoming standout performers, delivering powerful performance while reshaping how players engage with lotteries. 

Here are just some of the key benefits that lotteries are experiencing:

• Player engagement growth: Lotteries have reported increases in active and registered players. The appeal of these games spans diverse audiences, engaging the interest of casual players and VIP members alike. With innovative design and frequent rewards, including free turns, free bonus symbols, and multi-tier jackpots, they deliver experiences that a range of players enjoy.
• Revenue boosting impact: eInstant jackpots are contributing a substantial share of iLottery revenue, with some lotteries seeing eInstant jackpot games accounting for more than 30% of their total iLottery earnings.
• Sustaining player engagement: By incorporating fresh themes and game designs, dynamic features, and expanding jackpots, eInstant jackpot games keep players intrigued.

Amplifying impact

What sets the most successful eInstant jackpot game implementations apart? Brightstar’s Player Marketing Services team partners with lotteries to implement strategies that amplify the impact of their eInstant jackpot games, ensuring they achieve long-term success rather than just short-lived excitement.

Here is how they are doing it:

• Personalised marketing: Tailoring communication to specific player groups drives higher participation rates. Personalized emails, targeted ads, and custom promotions ensure every player feels valued and engaged.
• Visible jackpot promos: Jackpots are front and center in successful campaigns. By prominently displaying jackpot amounts on banners, ads, and promotional materials, lotteries keep excitement levels high and maintain player focus. 
• Multi-channel campaigns: The most successful lotteries maximise their reach by using all available tools. From email campaigns and social media posts to in-app notifications and website promotions, these campaigns ensure every new game gets the attention it deserves.
• Milestone celebrations: Providing timely updates on jackpot progress keeps the momentum alive. Whether it is nearing a record-breaking prize or celebrating a big win, players stay informed and engaged with every milestone.

Sustainable gameplay at the core

The best of these games are designed with sustainable gameplay at their core and balance vibrant, dynamic designs with mechanics that engage players thoughtfully. They channel the excitement of a big win and the enjoyment of unlocking loyalty rewards while ensuring a focus on sustainable player experiences.

In addition to Elephant King Jackpots and Lucky Coins, Brightstar’s eInstant jackpot portfolio currently includes Cleopatra Clusters Jackpot, Wolf Ridge Jackpots, Cats Jackpot, Jackpot Gold, and more, all developed with a focus on these leading practices.

eInstant Games: process, inspiration, and collaboration

Creating hit games such as Elephant King and Lucky Coins starts with extensive market research to provide lotteries with the most satisfying experiences for players.

We analyse trends, competitor games, and player preferences to define our target audience and determine the most suitable gameplay mechanics, such as fast play, cluster games, or traditional number-match games.

Once mechanics are determined, we align them with complementary themes and art styles and develop prototypes, including animatics and detailed outlines of game flow and features.

From there, collaboration becomes key. Our teams include content experts, producers, game designers, artists, animators, and audio engineers, who come together to refine concepts. 

To balance creative innovation with data analysis, data acts as our compass. We establish clear goals that shape the boundaries of creative exploration. We consider factors such as game type, target market, gameplay duration, and thematic tone. 

Inspiration can come from anywhere; player insights and lottery-customer feedback play a significant role. To ensure the games resonate with players, we draw ideas from diverse cultures, mythologies, current trends, pop culture, music, and firsthand experiences. 

One example comes from market research that introduced us to the player persona ‘Jackie.’ Jackie provided fascinating insights into motivations for why players play. This persona is now part of every game development meeting, bringing market research to life and ensuring player-centric design remains at the heart of our process.

Themes are more impactful when tied to gameplay. In Elephant King, the core element of the prize disk integrates seamlessly with elephant-themed gameplay. In Lucky Coins, the pig collecting coins serves as both a mechanical and thematic centerpiece. These strong theme-mechanic integrations keep players engaged while ensuring the game resonates.

Collaboration & new technologies

Success boils down to hard work, collaboration among disciplines in the studio, and turning data into actionable insights. For Lucky Coins, we redefined many game aspects in development – from the user interface to the win choreography, mechanics, and even production workflows. Our relentless focus on player experience ensures that every game we create is not only fun but also deeply engaging.

We also prioritise player feedback, which shapes ongoing iterations. Seasonal-themed skins like holiday or Valentine’s versions of Lucky Coins were rolled out based on player preferences and a desire for more ways to play this game, leading to the development of Lucky Coins 2. This approach to feedback and innovation is a blueprint for creating hit games.

Our teams, organized into ‘game squads,’ bring together specialised roles like producers, game designers, artists, animators, and engineers. Each squad focuses on a single project, with producers ensuring seamless communication and alignment.

Weekly brainstorming sessions, review meetings, and green-light sessions encourage cross-disciplinary idea sharing. This enables creative and technical strengths to complement each other, allowing talent from varied backgrounds to collaborate towards a unified vision. An emphasis on peer support and consistent experience across team members ensures quality remains uncompromised.

The game development process, which has relied heavily on tools like Adobe Creative Suite for years, is seeing a major shift with AI technologies. Brightstar recently released its first game with AI-generated art – titled Viking Gold – a move that has redefined traditional processes. AI opens exciting possibilities, both in terms of accelerating workflows and offering unique creative directions.

This adoption of innovative tools keeps us at the forefront, aligning technological advances with the creative ingenuity our studio is known for.

From the release of Lucky Coins 2 to jackpot-driven concepts, variety is a major focus.

With ‘tap eInstant games’ an emerging area of creativity and intuitive play styles, our studio is positioned for further growth.

From record-breaking product launches to sustained increases in revenue, eInstant jackpot games are proving their worth as essential tools for lottery growth. If you are looking to refresh your portfolio, drive more revenue, or retain your player base, these games can help transform your approach to iLottery strategy.

Want to learn more? Read the full Case Study to explore how lotteries are achieving new benchmarks, implementing best practices, and unlocking unprecedented growth with eInstant jackpot games.