Redefining Lottery Retail
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Insights from Amy Drooker
By Pollard Banknote Limited
Published May 19, 2026
The lottery industry is undergoing a major shift driven not only by a more complex retail environment, but also by changing player behavior. Brick-and-mortar retail is no longer simply the place where lottery products are sold; it’s the place where the player experience takes shape. Today’s modern consumer expects an easy retail experience which includes fluidity between digital and physical experiences, thereby raising expectations for clarity, convenience, and consistency across every touchpoint.
As the landscape evolves, lotteries have the opportunity to modernize their retail strategies, strengthen partnerships, and adopt more effective tools. With decades of experience and a deep understanding of retail realities, Pollard Banknote’s Senior Vice President of Retail Lottery Strategy & Solutions, Amy Drooker, shares her perspective on what’s changing, why it matters, and how the industry can move forward.
Q: You’ve said before that retail execution is not downstream from the product, but in many ways is part of the product. What do you mean by that and why is that reality so important in today’s environment?
Amy Drooker (AD): Retail today is more complex, competitive, and noisier than ever. It’s no longer the final stop for a lottery product; it’s the moment where value is either realized or lost for the player. And that industry reality is being amplified by changing player behavior, which is putting even greater pressure on the retail experience.
If the in‑store experience is confusing, inconsistent, or poorly executed, even the very best games can’t perform. Historically the focus was on the product (in our case the game) itself as the primary driver of sales. Today, execution helps determine whether those games succeed. Strong execution (think clear merchandising, consistent standards, and a systematic operational approach) is no longer “nice‑to‑have”—it’s essential.
Breaking through the noise at retail has become increasingly difficult too, which makes strategic execution even more vital. So like I’ve said, in this environment, retail execution is no longer downstream from the product – retail execution itself is integral to the product.
Q: You’ve spent more than three decades in the lottery industry. How has your experience shaped this perspective?
AD: I started my career in inside sales at the Kentucky Lottery back in 1991, where I learned one of the most important lessons that has stayed with me ever since: retailers are the front line of the lottery. They are our eyes and ears, and one of the most critical touchpoints with players, which makes their feedback and insight incredibly valuable.
From there, I continued my retail career path with the Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee lotteries, eventually returning to Kentucky. Across every role and organization, one thing became clear to me: retail excellence isn’t a single tactic; it’s a system.
To this day, my team and I challenge ourselves with the same questions:
How do we grow our presence and sales?
How do we become a better partner to existing retailers?
How do we expand lottery into new trade-styles?
That mindset is ultimately what led me to Pollard Banknote. For Pollard, partnership is personal. The organization is deeply focused on collaboration and creating solutions tailored to each lottery’s unique needs and circumstances. As a solution-oriented leader, I knew this was the place where I could thrive.
The people and the approach at Pollard make it possible to do this work the right way. Today, my focus is on helping our lottery partners build retail strategies that are operationally sound, scalable, and retailer friendly; strategies that respect the role retailers play while setting lotteries up for long-term success.
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Q: Where does the lion share of instant ticket sales actually live today?
AD: While lottery retail opportunities can exist anywhere, from in-lane at a grocery store to any environment where consumers shop, gas stations and convenience stores remain the backbone of instant ticket performance. In the US, about 68% of instant ticket sales come from gas and c-store retailers. And yet instant tickets account for only about 6% of total c-store sales.
That gap points to a significant unrealized growth potential particularly if product execution, placement, and overall retail integration are strengthened. But the opportunity isn’t limited to what’s happening inside the store – think about the c‑store visitor who pays at the pump and never enters the store, as well as the broader impact gas prices have on c‑store traffic in the first place. All these dynamics together open the door to new engagement models and new revenue streams, if approached thoughtfully.
This is why the importance of lottery to the c-store retailer cannot be overstated. Protecting and growing the c‑store relationship isn’t optional; it’s foundational to the lottery category’s success. Full stop.
At the same time, expansion can’t be approached with a one-size‑fits‑all mindset. What works for one retailer, chain, or market may fall flat in another. Real progress depends on working closely with retailers and industry partners, including organizations like the National Association of Convenience Stores, the National Retail Federation, the National Grocers Association, and the Petroleum Marketers Association, to build solutions grounded in real-world operating environments and shifting consumer behavior.
The path to growth is rooted in flexible, retailer‑focused strategies that strengthen partnerships and open new opportunities for the category. And that starts with ensuring everyone understands the value of selling lottery, not simply stocking it. That means educating the industry, locally and nationally, on how active engagement drives results.
Q: In what ways is changing player behavior influencing how the lottery experience is designed and delivered?
AD: Today’s consumer no longer thinks in terms of “digital” versus “retail.” They move seamlessly between the two without even realizing it. For a modern consumer lottery player, that might mean they buy a ticket in-store, scan it digitally on their lottery’s mobile app to engage further with the ticket (think second chance, loyalty offerings), and then return to retail for their next purchase.
To the player, this isn’t a multi‑channel journey, it’s one continuous experience.
Digital platforms have also raised expectations. Players are now accustomed to instant information, intuitive navigation, personalized content, and frictionless transactions. Those expectations don’t stop at the store entrance.
This shift in behavior further elevates the importance of retail execution. Players now expect in‑store interactions to be as intuitive and predictable as their digital ones.
When you compare the two side by side, the gaps become really clear:
Digital is clean, organized, and easy to navigate; retail can be cluttered or inconsistent.
Digital offers real‑time updates; retail often relies on manual processes.
Digital experiences adapt to the individual; retail tends to be one‑size‑fits‑all.
These differences highlight enormous opportunities to modernize and adapt in-store engagement to reflect the clarity, convenience, and consistency that digital trade-styles have trained consumers to expect.
That means, as I spoke to in the first question, better merchandising, more intuitive displays, clearer communication, and smarter tools such as player loyalty programs that bring personalization into the retail environment and help retailers execute with the same precision players experience online.
Digital Menu Boards (DMBs) from Schafer Retail Solutions+ (SRS+) are additional tools that make this shift possible. We’ve got them in three formats that further reinforce tailoring solutions to retail-specific needs: traditional DMBs in multiple sizes, in-counter DMBs used in nearly 40% of retailers, and outdoor DMBs for fuel kiosks and smaller footprint locations. And they all bring digital level clarity directly into the store.
Ultimately, the future isn’t digital or retail; it’s the seamless integration of both. And the lotteries that succeed will be the ones that treat the player journey as a unified experience, not two separate channels.
Q: Given what you’ve told us about the industry and consumer realities of today, what must lotteries do to achieve retail success?
AD: The same foundational questions still apply: how to grow sales, deepen retailer partnerships, and expand into new retail formats.
To answer them, lotteries must focus on five priorities:
Strengthen retailer partnerships through trust and shared values.
Actively earn relevance in crowded retail environments.
Use tools that simplify and scale execution.
Align in‑store experiences with the standards players now expect from digital channels.
Support product execution that works for retailers.
Across all five priorities, the message is clear: lottery delivers meaningful value to retail and reinforcing that value is essential to unlocking future growth.
Q: How is Pollard Banknote helping lead this evolution?
AD: Pollard is uniquely positioned to guide the industry forward by combining deep retail expertise with flexible, modern solutions. Retail environments aren’t one size fits all; and neither are our approaches.
We also know that we cannot make decisions in a vacuum. Research plays a critical role. Through initiatives like our User Journey Project conducted across five states and multiple demographics, we’ve observed real player behavior in c‑stores, supermarkets, liquor stores, and bars. The findings consistently reinforce one truth: the in‑store experience shapes perception, engagement, and return behavior.
Our solutions support clearer execution and stronger retailer relationships, but they’re part of a broader ecosystem designed to protect the purchase moment and the moments leading up to it.
The lottery industry is at a pivotal moment. Consumer expectations are rising, retail environments are becoming more complex, and the line between digital and physical experiences continues to blur.
Success now depends on treating the player journey as a unified experience and executing consistently at retail. Strong games still matter; but, they are no longer enough on their own.
As Amy Drooker’s insights make clear, by strengthening retailer partnerships, investing in execution‑driven tools, and grounding strategy in real‑world insight, lotteries can unlock growth and deliver the experiences modern players expect. With its deep industry expertise and adaptable retail solutions, Pollard Banknote is helping to lead that transformation, one retail interaction at a time.
