Ready to Play, and Learn, in Niagara Falls
- Insights Online
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
By Patricia McQueen
Published October 21, 2025
The NASPL Annual Conference always provides a broad experience for attendees, with dynamic keynote speakers, informative general and breakout sessions, presentation of awards for advertising excellence, and exceptional opportunities for networking throughout the event. This year, the Niagara Falls location was spectacular and our host, Ontario Lottery and Gaming, provided world-class hospitality.
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Keynote Chris Hadfield
The opening keynote address was provided by Colonel Chris Hadfield, who provided an out-of-this-world presentation. After all, the astronaut flew three space missions and spent six months on the International Space Station. He chronicled his journey for a mesmerized crowd in part through the eyes of a childhood version of himself, since he had been dreaming of space since before he was even 10 years old. “What greater purpose could there be than to be willing to change who I was, to take a risk, to go and do something that would push back the very edges of what is possible?”
And that was his ultimate message for the audience. Everything worth doing in life has risk, and if you want to change the world, you actually have to change yourself first. People have to think about changing who they are in order to get closer to their dreams. Lotteries are in the business of dreams, of people willing to take a chance and try and do something they’ve been dreaming of. Just like that little boy.
Think about the first moon landing in 1969 with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. It happened not only because of John F. Kennedy’s early leadership in the space program, but also because of hundreds of thousands of people around the world who worked on the project. And the three astronauts willing to risk their lives for something greater than themselves.
Hadfield described the 21 years as an astronaut that enabled him to have six months in space. He described the feeling of a shuttle launch, the shaking, the acceleration. Until it reached orbit after eight minutes and 40 seconds, and the engines cut. "You just float, and look down and see the world for the first time. What surprised me the most is how unbelievably beautiful our world is. And how unique it looks, like an ornament – this improbable, gorgeous ball hanging in the eternal empty blackness of space.”
Yet space is a dangerous place. If one astronaut makes a mistake, they all die. How do you build the necessary sense of trust in your colleagues? “Number one is purpose. If you’re not trying to accomplish something, then you probably won’t.” Next is constantly improving your skills. Even if you’re great at something, somebody’s going to change the regulatory environment, or AI comes in, or something else. Communication is also critically important. Yet don’t forget to celebrate life on a regular basis!
When you get back to Earth, you think, “what am I going to do next?” That’s what everyone needs to think about, at work and in your home life, because that’s really the only thing you can really control – the little decisions. Life is really a strung-together sequence of what you are going to do next, so you have to challenge yourself. “How am I changing who I am so I can be getting closer to my dreams every day?”
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Keynote Keith Pelley
Thursday’s keynote address was given by Keith Pelley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns numerous sports teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, along with Scotiabank Arena and other facilities. He began his talk by marveling about the power of sports, the tribalism it fosters, and how people turn to sports for a sense of belonging. Sports can also provide the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, where you can quickly go from team on the verge of a championship to a devastating loss.
Yet a loss is often a sign that things need to change. If a team isn’t making the right plays, there needs to be adjustments. Every day the coaches talk about how the team can get better. “Every business needs to constantly be making changes,” said Pelley. But because we are creatures of routine, change is hard and there’s always a fear of the unknown. “This is what we usually do” and “I don’t know if that’s going to work” are unacceptable statements in a successful business. “I firmly believe that if you are not trying to change every single day, you do risk falling behind.”
There are plenty of examples of falling behind, the most prominent being the spectacular rise and fall of Blockbuster, all because it wouldn’t change and didn’t understand what was happening around them. Founded in 1985, the video rental chain once had as many as 9,000 stores. Meanwhile, Netflix was founded in 1997, and was the first to launch an online DVD rental service. Blockbuster eventually went bankrupt, and Netflix became a powerhouse streaming service and content provider.
The difference between the two companies? Netflix listens to the consumer, moves quickly and is not afraid of failure. That’s good advice all around – in business, you need people who have the right level of confidence, but without the ego, so they don’t get defensive and are willing to change.
Pelley looks at MLSE and studies how it is changing, which means looking at demographics. Knowing there’s an increase in the number of people in the higher echelon of earnings, one change for MLSE and anyone else building huge stadiums is a focus on premium seating. Yet only a small percentage of fans have ever been in Scotiabank Arena, and that’s a problem. So MLSE created a new program called Fan Access, with several tiers, from free to super premium. “Access is the new ‘want’ for millionaires and billionaires, but access is also important to people at all income levels.”
Fan Access is also creating personalized fan data, which is the “absolute future,” says Pelley. “The more we can know about people, the more we can market them,” and if the message is customized, it won’t be tossed so readily. “Fan access is now our company’s number one focus. Second, we are a content company, and we are going to produce content for everyone. We’re going to make mistakes, but we learn from every one of them.”
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Focus on Partners
With the trade show returning after a one-year hiatus, NASPL’s Associate Member Partners were in the spotlight as well.
There were 28 booths on the trade show floor, along with a fun, interactive OLG booth. Brightstar, Intralot, Pollard Banknote, and Scientific Games led the way as Level 1 Premiere members, showcasing their full variety of solutions for lotteries. Level 2 member Aristocrat Interactive, Level 3 members Abacus, Alchemy3, Atlas Experiences, Carmanah Signs and EQL Games, and Level 4 member Sunshine Electronic Display also provided plenty for attendees to explore and ponder. Level 5 members offered more specialized products and services, and were kept busy as well: adesso, Blake Jarrett and Cineplex shared a booth, CM Global, Fennica Gaming, Groupe Carrus, GSTV, Nanoptix, Optimove, Patterson Pope, Pro-Lite, Smartplay, Somerville Merchandising, and Szrek2Solutions. DraftKings, Lotto.com and Gift & Go were also present.
The four Level 1 Premiere members also had opportunities on the conference side. Each year, they participate in a discussion led by Rebecca Paul, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Tennessee Education Lottery. Participating in Niagara Falls were Richard Bateson, Chief Executive Officer, Intralot; Renato Escoli, Chief Executive Officer, Global Lottery, Brightstar; Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer, Scientific Games; and Doug Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Pollard Banknote. A full video of the conversation is available on the NASPL Matrix. Topics this year included:
How to keep sales growing with all the outside competition (sports betting, casinos, iGaming and gray machines) How do we compete with them?
Some of those competitors have done a far better job reaching a younger audience. How do we get that younger audience, and how do we learn from them?
How can you four “play better” in the sandbox?
Who do you think our competitors are?
The lottery industry is moving towards a greater percentage of revenues through digital. How do you continue to support the important retail channel?
Who do you look to for innovation and to inspire you?
Growth in instant sales has softened over the past couple of years. What are we doing wrong, and how do we improve to get that growth back?
What keeps you up at night?
Each of these four Associate Member Partners also gave short presentations during the conference. Intralot talked about Fast Play, the fastest-growing lottery category in the U.S., and one with significant growth potential. Pollard Banknote held a fireside chat with OLG’s President and Chief Executive Officer Duncan Hannay, exploring how OLG competes in North America’s most competitive market. Scientific Games described the key pillars that drive the company’s investment: player engagement, operational excellence, and future readiness. And Brightstar explained the company’s new name and the benefits of going back to its roots as a lottery-only company.
Diving Deeper
There was no shortage of good information at NASPL 2025! In addition to the general sessions and tradeshow, there were 12 breakout sessions that offered deep dives into a variety of important topics, such as draw games, artificial intelligence, retailers, entertainment trends, iLottery marketing, player health, courier services, cybersecurity, fraud, customer centricity, giving back to communities, and scratch tickets. These are summarized in a separate article.
A complete list of NASPL Awards winners is available here.
Check out all the photos from NASPL 2025 produced by Uptown Media.
In 2026, the Florida Lottery will welcome lottery industry participants to the NASPL Annual Conference and Tradeshow in Orlando, Sept 21-24. We hope to see you there!
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