Our Goals and Code of Practice
Lottery’s overarching program goal is to leverage and support responsible and problem gambling community relationships and to advance the promotion of safer play (RG) strategies and resource utilization.
In 2024 we expanded and reframed our program from RG to Safer Play. Safer Play is a less stigmatizing, more inclusive, customer experience focused way of looking at the program. It suggests that gambling is offered as entertainment or play for adults, and safer recognizes that it’s an activity that carries risk.
Lottery devotes funding and resources where they will have the most positive impact on the promotion of safer play and creating awareness of resources and how to access them. We focus on:
- Providing information and tools to help players recognize that gambling is an activity that carries risk and to help them develop and utilize safer play strategies that enable them to enjoy Lottery games as entertainment.
- Expanding outreach and resources to reach and engage more players at more points in their help-seeking journey. We work with system providers to align on messaging, resource and tool development, and community engagement.
- Creating awareness of resources and counseling services for those impacted by their own or someone else’s gambling. We aim to ensure that people know how to access help, and that they understand it’s free, confidential, and that it works.
Code of Practice
The Responsible Gaming Code of Practice commits the Lottery to implement programs focused on research, as well as employee, stakeholder, and retailer engagement. It also addresses player education, retail & online gaming, treatment & referral resources, and advertising & promotion.
Annual Program Metrics
As part of Lottery’s enterprise strategic plan, the Safer Play Program establishes annual key performance metrics that align with agency goals and our commitments in the Code of Practice. These metrics help us determine the effectiveness of our efforts, identify trends, and foster continuous improvement. Key metrics include:
Brand Promise: Lottery conducts annual research to determine how Oregonians feel about Lottery’s commitment to delivering on our brand promise of promoting safer play strategies and resource utilization. We also measure awareness of available tools and resources.
Marketing & Advertising: Lottery implements “always-on” marketing programing to ensure a constant drumbeat of relevant Safer Play messaging and outreach. Annual marketing metrics include both outputs and outcomes. Output metrics include things like site/app visits generated by advertising. Outcome metrics look at engagements like tool utilization or connecting customers with help.
Oregon Lottery Employee & Retailer Staff Training: Annually Lottery conducts required retailer and employee training. Like other metrics, we look at both outputs – how many were trained, and outcomes – what did they learn.
Awareness of Lottery Funding
Oregonians’ awareness of Lottery revenue funding Problem Gambling services remains high. About 3-in-4 remain positive about Lottery’s support of these services.
Awareness of Treatment Features
This metric is designed to assess awareness of the counseling (treatment) features that are promoted in marketing outreach – among players and Oregonians in general. These features include Free, Professional, Confidential and availability for anyone affected by gambling. We have made substantive progress over time on the “treatment is free” metric and will continue to focus efforts here.
Source #1
New Tools & Resources Awareness
In 2024 Lottery began marketing new tools and resources for players seeking help with change, including moderation and cutting back. This was in addition to promoting counseling.
After only six months, the new baseline metrics look promising, with awareness of new tools and resources in the 20% – 36% range among Oregonians; 20%-43% range among Players.
| New Resources Promoted in 2024 | Total Oregonians | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Free treatment and counseling for gambling issues | 36% | 43% |
| Information and tools for people who want to make a change to their gambling | 33% | 40% |
| 1-877-MyLimit | 29% | 39% |
| Online communities, chat groups, blogs for people experiencing problems with gambling | 20% | 20% |
| Draft Kings responsible gambling and Safer Play messages | ––– | 74% |
Source #1
Annual Metrics: Marketing & Advertising
Annually, Lottery deploys a strategic “always on” advertising schedule with the goal of connecting people to information, tools, and help. Robust content is available on the Oregon Problem Gambling Resource website, and we utilize targeted digital, keyword, print, social, out of home and other media to drive Oregonians to the site.
OPGR.org offers many options for connecting visitors to help, including phone, chat, and text. Advertising always tests and promotes calls to action that will drive engagement with the site and its tools and resources.
OPGR site visits
644,000
Total site sessions on OPGR.org in 2024
In 2024 OPGR.org had 644,000 site sessions up over 200% from the previous year. The increase in activity began in July concurrent with the promotion of the new moderation content.
OPGR advertising developed by Lottery is responsible for over 95% of all site sessions.
Source #2
Engagement and Media Conversion
The goal of advertising and marketing outreach is engagement. It is not enough to get people to visit the site (site sessions); we need them to engage and take an action (conversion). In 2024, we continued to refine our messaging and media targeting, adding more engagement options and became even more efficient with budget and more effective in conversions.
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Site Sessions | 644,000 | 285,000 |
| Conversions | 16,856 | 6,902 |
| Conversion Ratio | 2.61% | 2.42% |
Source #4
2024 Conversion Actions
In CY24 we promoted a variety of conversion actions, including a new call to action to learn more about the digital health app EVIVE.
The pie chart reflects other options site visitors chose after visiting the OPGR website. “Live Chat” and “Find a Meeting” were the top conversions among campaign related sessions.
95% of conversions were attributed to paid media.
Source #4
Connecting to a Professional
Our marketing outreach promotes the phone number, live chat, and text as options for people to connect directly with trained counselors on the OPGR website. Additionally, people may choose to engage after seeing helpline information on various printed marketing materials.
In 2024 we also promoted connecting with a professional “just to chat” moving away from focusing solely on connecting for counseling.
Calls, Chats & Texts in 2024
2,135
404
123
846
Annual Metrics: Training
The Oregon Lottery provides annual safer play training to Lottery Retailer staff and to all Oregon Lottery employees. Pre- and post- surveys are included in the training modules to gauge the efficacy of the training and to foster continuous improvement.
Lottery Product Retailer Training
This required training module developed specifically for retailers who sell Lottery products (Scratch-it’s, Draw Games etc.) is designed to help retail staff to communicate effectively when facing gambling related situations during interactions with customers. Content includes information on how the games work, promoting safer play as part of a good customer experience, and strategies for directing players to available tools and resources.
In 2024
- 4023 Lottery Product retail staff trained
- 2.4 average staff trained per retailer
The majority of Lottery Product retailers strongly agree that promoting responsible gaming is a shared responsibility between Lottery retailers and Oregon Lottery.
Source #6, #8
Lottery All-Staff Training
This mandatory training provides employees with the necessary tools they need to understand Lottery’s commitment to RG and the role they play in the promotion of safer play. This training module equips staff with tools to address situations they may face when interacting with players or the general public.
In 2024 this training was updated to reflect Lottery’s move to Safer Play and to educate staff on the new tools and resources available for players at all points on their journey.
In 2024
- 450 Employees trained annually
- Over 98% of all Lottery employees agree that promoting Safer Play (RG) is good for business.
The majority of staff were able to connect the training to their role as a Lottery brand ambassador.
Source #6
Key Accomplishments & New Initiatives
In 2024 we continued our work focused on reaching more players at more point on their help seeking journey. We continued to prioritize research, completing our Early Support study, and began a new-multi-phased research initiative for Affected Others. We moved towards implementing new outreach and programming based on key insights from the research. We tested a variety of new marketing campaigns and messaging and added digital self-help tools for safer play, reduction, and stopping.We also devoted resources to enhancing our Lottery staff training, piloting advanced training concurrent with self-care training. This was developed to support staff who engage regularly with players and retailers.
Early Support Research
In 2024 we moved to the final phases of this research that began in 2023. In these phases we heard from people who identified as having concerns about their gambling behavior in the past two years.
In Phase 3, 57 participants completed digital diaries over a two-day period. Explored changes noticed in gambling behavior, motivations for seeking help, information or help they explored, actions they took or considered.
In Phase 4, 26 participated in Online One-On-One Interviews. They explored opportunities for providing inclusive resources and services that would be valuable in the early stages of the player’s journey and discussed reactions to the OPGR “Help with Moderation” webpage including opportunities to further enhance its value.
Outcomes from the research included:
- Working with public health partners to support new services and tools
- Piloting a gambling specific digital health app for cessation, reduction, and prevention
- New Content & Tools: including video’s, quizzes, and community resources
- Affected Other (AO) Research: Identified the need to understand and support affected others. A multi-phased study began in 2024 and will conclude in early 2025.
Digital Self Help Tools: EVIVE
In 2024, Oregon Lottery and Oregon Health Authority began providing free access to the EVIVE app – a first of its kind digital health app offering solutions for Stopping, Reduction, and Safer Play options. Mid-year Lottery began testing campaigns to drive downloads of the app. “Learn More” about the app quickly became one of the highest engagement actions on opgr.org/cut-back/.
New Marketing Campaigns & Content
Based on research insights, Lottery began testing a variety of new messages and calls to action in the safer play advertising and outreach. This included promoting the EVIVE app, Safer Play Guidelines and Taking a Risk Assessment. We also developed a series of videos designed to address barriers to help seeking and answering some big questions players have when contemplating a change. The series included: How Much is Too Much, Setting a Change Goal, and When You Are Ready.
Advanced Lottery Staff Training
In 2024 Lottery piloted three advanced trainings designed specifically for staff in player and retailer facing roles. This included:
Safer Play in the Field on the Go
This voluntary training included multiple scenarios on how to respond to retailers and players and provided specific practice exercises designed to increase confidence in having successful safer play conversations.
- 15-minute on-demand training module
- 183 staff were identified as having player & retailer facing roles.
- 52% voluntarily completed the module.
Source #8
Self-Care & Advanced Skills Training
A 60-minute Self Care pilot training focused on providing skills and strategies to help staff practice self-care while promoting safer play. This training was conducted in conjunction with Advanced Skills training, a 2-hour session focused on advanced skills and strategies to help staff practice promoting safer play. The training included real life scenarios that were developed using staff and retailer interviews.
- In person instructor led training
- 46 staff participated, representing 5 different functional areas
- Over 80% found the training useful and relevant to their role.
Source #9
Industry Involvement
The Oregon Lottery is an associate member of the World Lottery Association (WLA) and currently holds the highest level of certification at level 4. WLA’s values are based on a commitment to the highest standards of corporate responsibility and are based on WLA Responsible Gaming Principles and Framework.
The Oregon Lottery is currently a Gold Member of the National Council on Problem Gambling and actively holds positions on various committees. Organizational membership is for corporations, government agencies and nonprofits that are concerned corporate citizens who help to sustain NCPG’s programs.
The Oregon Council on Problem Gambling (OCPG) is the state affiliate to the National Council on Problem Gambling. The OCPG’s purpose is to promote the health of Oregonians by supporting efforts to minimize gambling related harm. The Oregon Lottery holds a position on the board of directors along with other interested parties and stakeholders from the gaming industry, treatment and prevention field, the recovery community and state and county administrators.
The Oregon Lottery is an Associate Member of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). Currently, Oregon holds “Sustaining” level certification through NASPL and NCPG which is the highest level available. NASPL’s mission is to assemble and disseminate information and benefits of state and provincial lottery organizations through education and communications and, where appropriate, publicly advocate the positions of NASPL on matters of general policy.
The Oregon Lottery holds a board member seat on the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC). RGC exists to ensure that gambling safeguards are in place, to promote the wellbeing of people and communities They have been a leader in the prevention of problem gambling in Canada and globally for 40+ years.
CITATION:
- Oregon Lottery: Brand Promise Study Summary of Findings Final Report: 2024. N=802
- Google Analytics 2024
- Problem Gambling Services Yearly Report 2024
- Pollinate: YOY Post Report 2024
- Power BI Retailer Training Database 2024
- Safer Play(RG) Lottery Employee Training Survey Data 2024
- Safer Play(RG) Lottery Product Retailer Training Survey Data 2024
- Safer Play in the Field and on the Go Survey Data 2024
- Self-care and Advanced Skills Training Survey Data 2024