IGT Plc has secured a major technology agreement to upgrade the central lottery system of La Française des Jeux (FDJ) – France’s national lottery operator. 

The NYSE technology group disclosed that it had won a seven-year agreement to modernise FDJ’s group-wide lottery management system, which will be upgraded to its advanced Aurora platform.

IGT has maintained a technology partnership with FDJ since 2020, helping France’s biggest gambling group maintain Europe’s second-largest lottery.

“As FDJ’s lottery central system partner for more than 20 years, IGT has a keen understanding of the innovative technology needs of its business,” said Jay Gendron, IGT Chief Operating Officer, Lottery. 

“Omnichannel lottery experiences enhance player engagement and are what consumers will come to expect as part of the overall player journey as lotteries continue incorporating more digital solutions. The enhanced omnichannel aspects that IGT will add to FDJ’s lottery infrastructure, combined with the exceptional reliability, performance and flexibility of our Aurora platform, will help FDJ maintain the French National Lottery’s standing as one of the most successful lotteries in the world.”

Dealmakers announced that new system upgrades will be functional and live by the first quarter of 2023. Once installed, Aurora’s framework will be connected to FDJ’s player and retailer account management platforms, enabling end-to-end integration of classic draw games into FDJ’s new digital omnichannel architecture. 

“Now that we have successfully scaled FDJ’s digital offer, thanks to our new omnichannel architecture and our proprietary iLottery platform, it is time to launch the upgrade of our central draw games engine to next-level omnichannel capabilities,”  said Xavier Etienne, FDJ Executive VP Technology & International.

“It is a major program in FDJ’s strategic plan, and we are pleased to pursue our longstanding collaboration with IGT to make this important step a success.”