"Skilrock has always been at the forefront of bringing something new and questioning the status quo"

Skilrock Technologies, a subsidiary of the Sugal and Damani Group with over 52 years in the lottery business, specializes in providing technology solutions tailored for the global lottery market. With implementations in 32 countries, the company focuses on leveraging its operational experience to develop innovative systems that enhance player engagement and streamline operations.

In this interview with Yogonet, CEO and Executive Director Sujit Lahiry discusses Skilrock's partnership with the World Lottery Association, reflecting on key milestones and the company's strategic direction. He also discusses the upcoming product showcase at the World Lottery Summit in Paris, detailing innovations like the INFINITI platform and Scan-n-Play, which address current challenges in the industry. 

How has Skilrock's partnership with the World Lottery Association influenced the company's strategy and growth? What key milestones stand out in this journey?

Our first show was in 2006 in Singapore. We had a very small stand and were just exploring, explaining what we had achieved. Some people in the industry said, "Wow, you have such a large operation, why don’t you provide this technology to the world?" That’s when the idea struck—having done enough in India, we should look outward and provide technology to various organizations globally. We joined WLA wholeheartedly, and there was no looking back. We always exhibited something innovative, something new, and that’s how the journey began.

Another milestone that comes to mind is 2016. In 2016, we showcased everything related to the Green Lottery. At that time, the world was overburdened with consumables that created problems for the environment, and the lottery industry was consuming a lot of paper. We focused on how to reduce that usage. It was a very nice initiative, and everyone appreciated it. That’s just one example. We’ve always been at the forefront of demonstrating something new and questioning the status quo.

At the same time, we also benefited a lot from this relationship. We exhibited at different places and understood the local environments in various cities, countries, and regions. We also became members of local associations, like the Africa Lottery Association, the Asia Pacific Lottery Association, and CIBELAE, which covers Latin America. This provided us with a huge amount of exposure to varied practices, including regional best practices and global best practices.

The World Lottery Association, for instance, is very standards-based, with high expectations when it comes to responsible gaming and security control standards. We learned quite a lot from organizations like the WLA. And, last but not least, the networking—meeting almost everyone relevant in the industry—is invaluable. It's a perfect forum for exchanging ideas. 

So yes, it definitely helped us in new markets, because people already knew who Skilrock was, and many people knew me personally. It was a definite benefit.

With the WLS's Paris 2024 event approaching, what can attendees expect from Skilrock’s product showcase? How do the company's offerings address current industry challenges?

The INFINITI platform itself is vast—it's an institution in itself. It's our fourth-generation platform, and when we were designing it, the brief we gave the design team was that it should meet the requirements of any lottery, anywhere in the world. That's the kind of broad vision we provided. It's an enterprise application that is 80 to 90% ready for any lottery globally and is fully customizable. 

Of course, "one size fits all" is not the approach here. Every operator, every local entity, and every regulator will have different requirements. We need to be able to customize and deliver, and that’s the fundamental principle behind the design of INFINITI. It’s a very flexible platform, and it meets the specific requirements of any operator perfectly. That’s what we’re going to showcase. Everything is going to be centered around INFINITI.

However, in order to start any dialogue or interaction, we definitely need to showcase something unique. Our focus will be on instant lotteries. Instant win lotteries have been around for ages, but managing them is an art. The science behind it, the technology behind it, is something we provide very proficiently and across multiple channels. That's what we’re going to highlight.

Another major showcase will be Scan-n-Play, which really excites player participation, especially in the context of digital transformation. These will be our major focus areas. In addition, we’ll also be showcasing lottery regulatory systems, offline affiliation systems, and various other use cases.

Scan-n-Play offers a unique gaming experience because it doesn't require player registration. How does this approach cater to modern gaming demands?

Going digital is something that is like writing on the wall, and it’s not just now; it has been for many years now. However, the adoption of digital has been a little slower in the lottery space for various reasons. At the same time, the biggest challenge for those who have already gone digital is that players do not easily join. It takes a lot of time, money, and energy to get players to engage in digital gameplay. That’s a bottleneck, and overcoming this problem is crucial. 

When we analyzed the inhibitions for players, we found that the biggest barrier was the registration process. When a player has to spend a few minutes registering and then also needs to make their first deposit before starting gameplay, that becomes a significant hurdle. People often abandon the process; they "dump the cart," so to speak, which is the biggest bottleneck.

If you look into the history of the lottery, it has always been a kind of casual gameplay. You feel lucky, pass by a lottery outlet, pay some cash, buy the ticket, and that’s the end of it. You then look for the result. If you win, you feel on top of the world.

You have exciting gameplay, but you have to register and make a payment, and people tend to take a step back. This is what we wanted to overcome. If you are able to bridge this gap and provide an experience that showcases the immersiveness and attractiveness of digital gameplay, players will definitely come back. They will not return to playing retail lottery anymore. 

Scan-n-Play provides this perfect bridge. It’s very easy; players continue to go to the retail outlet they have been visiting, make a very small deposit, and can instantly start playing on their mobile phone or web application. The ease of use is so high that once they experience this immersive digital gameplay, they will continue to engage. They will make deposits, complete registration, and do everything required. Therefore, making the process simple and putting them at ease from the very beginning is the key to success.

INFINITI is positioned as a key omnichannel platform for delivering a unified gaming experience across both digital and retail channels. How does it empower operators to offer flexible, scalable and secure gaming solutions?

The industry has been very fragmented in terms of different games and channels of gameplay. There were separate solutions for digital gameplay, retail gameplay, and self-service gameplay. Everything was kind of fragmented, and players did not have a seamless experience. They would not recognize that it’s the same player engaging across multiple channels. 

Interestingly, the INFINITI platform is not only omnichannel; it’s also omni-gaming. When I say omni-gaming, I mean that you don't need a separate platform for sportsbooks, Keno, Lotto, Bingo, etc. Just one platform can handle all genres and types of games. This is what makes INFINITI very interesting for operators to consider; they don’t need separate solutions for different segments. It is very comprehensive in nature.

One more aspect we focus on is player life cycles. How do you acquire a player? How do you retain a player? How do you encourage players to deposit and facilitate withdrawals? The game life cycle is also essential. How do you introduce a new game? What research do you conduct? What pricing structures or UI/UX designs do you implement? After all, a game will have its own lifespan. At the end of its life, how do you phase out that game and plan for a new one? 

Similarly, partners are major stakeholders in this ecosystem. How do distributors, retailers, and their employees join in? How easy is it for them to get trained? What information do you provide? How do you motivate them? How do you manage commissions and make their lives easier? A large portion of the World Lottery Association’s revenue comes from retail channels. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure that everything operates as a well-oiled machine. The life cycle of players, games, and partners is a very important aspect of our strategy.

Another critical feature is customizability. Our platform is fully customizable, so you don’t have to worry about whether specific reports or processes can be implemented. Rest assured, we can take care of that. Player account management, retailer management, and device management are also essential aspects that the platform supports.

Many people in the industry think gaming is all about the attractiveness of the games, and while that is indeed important, it’s not the whole picture. The player experience, akin to customer experience, ultimately matters most. There are many behind-the-scenes elements that contribute to success. A significant back office must function effectively; every department has to work well and be fully enabled. The technology should support this. 

We take pride in not only the front end but also the back end. The INFINITI platform encompasses a robust back-end system, making it a holistic solution.

What trends and technological advancements do you see shaping the future of gaming, and how does Skilrock plan to remain a leader in the omnichannel gaming space?

We have definitely been at the forefront by introducing very innovative solutions, and we are constantly innovating. The architecture I explained about INFINITI is omnichannel and omnigaming, making it reasonably future-proof. However, technology is changing very fast. 

We invest about 30% of our expenses into research and development (R&D), which is a significant amount. We keep investing in areas that are relevant and up-to-date, while also staying grounded. This means we actively seek feedback from our operators and players. We are not adopting technology just for the sake of it; we ensure that it benefits either the player or other stakeholders in the gaming industry. 

Adopting technology that truly helps is at the forefront of our mission. As I mentioned earlier, we are members of the World Lottery Association and similar regional associations, which provide us with a wealth of input from around the world, including emerging markets.

Our focus is on creating a personalized, immersive, and wholesome gaming experience, both at the front end and the back end. We are committed to simplifying the experience for all stakeholders, whether they are our retail channel operators, sales and marketing departments, or back-office operations. We will ensure that we bring innovation to every element of the stakeholder experience. 

We have now entered the last quarter of the year. Are there any major plans for the remainder of 2024 that you could highlight for us? What's the next show for Skilrock?

We are definitely very platform-focused and have been for quite some time. However, we realized that we also need to focus heavily on content. We have a number of alliance partners, and we are in the process of tying up with them. While we have our own rich and numerous content, it's not enough to rely solely on that; our platform should also be able to utilize content available in the market. These alliances are a key focus for us. 

Additionally, we have already planned our fifth-generation platform. It may not launch this year, but it will definitely be coming next year, and we are preparing for it thoroughly. This is already in a very advanced stage of research and development. We are also looking at market expansion. In terms of that, we are increasing our on-site presence in different countries, wanting to have our own people there.

As I mentioned, we are rooted to the ground, ensuring that we provide not only input but also support to our clients, prospects, and partners in all regions. Our next show after the WLS is the Africa Lottery Association show, which will be held in Casablanca, Morocco. Africa is a major focus for us, and any emerging market is a great opportunity. We expect significant growth on that continent.

There's not much time left this year, but early next year, we have a major event happening: ICE, which has been one of the biggest events in the gaming industry, is shifting its base from London to Barcelona. We are very much looking forward to this, and we will have a lot of preparations done this quarter for the event.

As for the World Lottery Show, this is a big event for us and for everyone in the lottery industry. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, there was a little pause, but things have picked up speed again. It's now being held in Vancouver, then Paris, and I don't know where the next event will be. This is actually a great thing for the lottery industry, and we always look forward to it.