The North Carolina Education Lottery wants to make gameplay easier to understand.
Whether it’s through retail play or online lottery games, North Carolina has gotten into teacher mode.
NCPlaySmart.com is a new website designed to inform players about how to play lottery games and do so responsibly.
Play Smart helping prepare new lottery players
The Play Smart platform is available through the NC Lottery.
It offers:
- Tips and tools for playing the lottery
- Gamified player education messages
- Engaging educational video content
According to the CEO of the North Carolina Lottery, Mark Michalko, these tools are helpful to the growing populace of lottery players in the state:
“More people than ever before in North Carolina are playing lottery games. As more people play our games, we made sure we invested more in our player education and responsible gaming programs. The new Play Smart program helps our players take advantage of every opportunity to make winning decisions that keeps their play fun and healthy.”
Since North Carolina launched Digital Instants last November, a total of 248,000 players have jumped onto the online games. That includes players who are new to the lottery in general.
Those players generated $1.13 billion in sales of Digital Instants for fiscal year 2024.
Several guide videos available to North Carolina customers
Play Smart began in 2020 from the North Carolina Lottery. Its original focus was on responsible gaming. According to Michalko, recent input from players and stakeholders helped reform the program into a more educational and engaging platform:
“Most people who play the lottery play responsibly. Our new Play Smart program still offers information about how to get help if playing the lottery stops being fun. The big shift here comes with sharing tips and tools in an engaging way that applies to everyone playing lottery games that, if used, will ensure play stays fun.”
North Carolina offers three videos to aid players:
- “Draw Games. Get to know ‘em”: This video helps dispel myths about draw games. That includes the idea of “hot numbers.” It also gives information about odds and random results.
- “Scratch-off games. Make heads and tails of it all”: This one explains how odds can vary from one scratch game to another. It also details how to get information on prizes remaining and how to check if you’re a winner.
- “It’s good to have limits!”: Another video keeps the focus on responsible gaming. It offers tips on setting limits, budgeting for play, and warning signs to avoid problem gambling.
To help give awareness to this site, the NC Lottery is utilizing statewide advertising, marketing, and communications.
A social media and digital marketing campaign will be taking place throughout October. A new statewide campaign will be coming in March of 2025.
Play Smart brochures are available at over 7,100 retail lottery locations.
Photo by MIND AND I via Shutterstock
Graphic from the North Carolina Lottery
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