Beyond the Ticket: Kyle Rogers on the Marketing Value of SG Signature Linked Games
By Scientific Games
Published October 21, 2026
A trip to Hawaii where the original JURASSIC PARK was filmed – with a chance to win $1 million. A live medieval jousting tournament with lottery winners cheering for their GAME OF THRONES “houses.” An opportunity to spin the wheel on the sound stage of THE PRICE IS RIGHT. For lottery marketing teams, experiences like these offer stories that begin at a retail store and extend all the way to an exclusive winners’ event.
Scientific Games pioneered the lottery Linked Game concept in 2007, bringing lotteries together to offer players once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to win experiential prizes at white-glove events themed to brands such as DEAL OR NO DEAL, WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and, most recently, GAME OF THRONES.
Since 2007, 39 U.S. lotteries (including Puerto Rico) have participated in at least one Linked Game. Now called SG Signature Linked Games, these games represent a combined retail value of more than US$7 billion to date.
Kyle Rogers, SVP, Instant Strategy & Licensing, has led Linked Games at Scientific Games since the concept began. He’s been involved in every minute of the ride and helped innovate the creative concepts.
With the next event, themed to JURASSIC WORLD, set for this fall – and on the threshold of announcing an all-new event tied to a brand never before featured in lottery games – Rogers discusses how licensed brands, turnkey marketing support and memorable experiences can help lotteries make the most of their portfolios and marketing budgets.
For a lottery marketing manager watching the budget, what are the strongest reasons to consider an SG Signature Linked Game?
Rogers: The brand itself does a lot of the heavy lifting. The lottery can capitalize on brand equity that is already ingrained in the consumer’s mind. That gives you a recognizable story to work with from the beginning.
Experiential prizes also tend to punch above their weight from a marketing standpoint. They are typically funded through the game’s prize structure, but there is a story and a marketing hook you can build around a once-in-a-lifetime trip compared with one more cash prize in the prize structure. We know there is a segment of consumers that really values experiences.
Then there is the marketing package we include as part of the game. It typically includes preapproved point-of-sale materials, television and radio ads, and social media assets the lottery can use to promote the game. We handle all brand clearances, so the lottery has a full campaign to work with without developing everything from scratch.
Can you share more about what that marketing package looks like, and how much can a lottery customize the assets?
Rogers: We create branded television and radio spots. Each ad includes a customizable section for each lottery, while the main content remains standard. That shared approach allows multiple lotteries to use the same core creative while tailoring key details to their own games.
Brand owners have invested a lot in their equity and are understandably protective of how they are presented. We work through those approvals before sharing the ads with the lotteries, saving their teams a tremendous amount of time and resources.
We also develop a licensor-approved point-of-sale campaign with an on-brand look and feel. Lotteries can customize certain elements within the brand owner’s approved parameters and select from a menu of materials to suit their retail environments best.
How much planning goes into one of these games?
Rogers: Ideally, lotteries join a Linked Game 12 months in advance to give the game time to sell before conducting drawings for winners. Our teams at Scientific Games are always working two winners’ events ahead. And we’re already planning the game that will follow the one we are about to announce. Each one takes a couple of years to develop fully. Doing these well requires a lot of effort and passion, and fortunately, we have amazing, experienced teams. Our winners' services, events, and drawing services teams are outstanding, and I am grateful to them for making these events happen.
For the event itself, finding the right location, including the right hotel, requires at least a year. Once the location is locked in, our work on the set and theming starts immediately. We typically begin booking the winners’ trips months before the event.
Why is a licensed brand so important to the experience?
Rogers: Having a brand elevates the entire experience. It lets us build games and events around something that already has a built-in story. That makes the events more fun for the winners, and the brand helps players understand and imagine the experience from the moment they see the game.
Ultimately, why is participation in an SG Signature Linked Game a smart portfolio decision for a lottery?
Rogers: I am glad you used the word “portfolio,” because that is how lotteries should be thinking. The goal is always to maximize the bottom line. That does not mean maximizing every game individually. If we did that, we would have a very boring product, and every game would appeal to the same group every time.
An SG Signature Linked Game gives lotteries a way to complement their core products with a recognizable brand and an experience players cannot get from other games.
What sets SG Signature Linked Games apart?
Rogers: This goes back to the licensed brand itself. The brand comes with a built-in following and personality that we build our winners’ events around.
SG Signature Linked Games are different because of our 20 years of experience hosting thousands of winners. Our events team has expertly handled just about every kind of winner and is ready for just about any potential issue. We truly care about our lottery customers and do everything possible to make their winners the stars of the event. Our team gets very involved with attention to all the details. We know how to make them feel special. From the moment a winner steps onto the airplane until they arrive back home, it’s a white-glove experience.
Our lottery customers are the foundation of every SG Signature Linked Game. We are a trusted partner, and we take our responsibility seriously. The event we’re producing represents the customer. We recognize that it is a privilege that lotteries allow us to deliver the winner experience, and we make it memorable.
After nearly two decades, do you have a favorite game or winners’ event?
Rogers: We try really hard to make every SG Signature Linked Game event unique. I do not think we have ever repeated the same winners’ experience. Each time, the prize events have different play mechanics and prizes, all themed to the brand. So every event has at least one element that would be my favorite. We also learn something from each one that we can bring to the next.
The most exciting moment would have to be watching a player advance past the first round of the WONKA BILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE and reach an opportunity with odds of 1 in 525 to win $1 billion. Has that ever happened anywhere in the world?
It was also incredibly rewarding to incorporate live jousting in a meaningful way into the GAME OF THRONES event. We divided the winners into “houses” from the television series, and everyone was rooting for their champion. That created a very special, competitive atmosphere, and the winners loved it.
Does creating these games get easier as you learn what players respond to?
Rogers: It is definitely not getting easier! Partly because of the pressure we put on ourselves to do something different every time. We have also raised expectations so high that it is hard to top the games and events we have produced.
But this is what makes our jobs interesting. This is a space where we get to dream big, no matter how crazy the ideas may seem, and turn those dreams into unforgettable experiences for the winners. Making each event distinct is a big part of the work.
What can winners look forward to at the upcoming events?
Rogers: The JURASSIC WORLD event in Hawaii is in November. The location makes it unique, and each winner will have their own opportunity to win $1 million.
After that, we have the GAME SHOW EXPERIENCE event, where winners will be able to play on the actual set of THE PRICE IS RIGHT. That should be a lot of fun. One of its most unique features is that the amount won by the final player will be matched, and that amount will be split among all the winners at the event.
Can you offer a preview of the next SG Signature Linked Game?
Rogers: We will be announcing our next game very soon. We plan to feature a brand that hasn't been available to the lottery industry before, and we are very excited about it. I can only tell you that it will be special and that we intend to exceed expectations again.
Kyle Rogers is SVP, Instant Strategy & Licensing for Scientific Games, where he leads product strategy for the Americas and the lottery industry’s most robust portfolio of licensed brands. With 34 years in the lottery industry, Kyle brings a deep understanding of how lottery products, players and the marketplace have evolved and where they are headed next.
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