Press Release

Pollard Banknote Highlights Investment In Lottery Innovation At NASPL ’23

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, October 24, 2023 /CNW/ – Pollard Banknote Limited (“Pollard Banknote”; TSX: PBL) is pleased to bring exciting products and services spanning its three dimensions for lottery success— outstanding games, retail excellence, and digital innovation—to the 2023 North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (“NASPL”) annual conference held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from October 30 to November 2, 2023. Pollard Banknote’s exhibit spotlights some of the most innovative offerings in the industry, which are designed to drive lottery success.

Come and learn how to elevate your higher price point offerings with EasyPack™, an oversized instant ticket conveniently dispensable in existing on-counter dispensers and vendable in instant ticket vending machines (“ITVMs”). It’s a game changer! Stay for a spooky “It’s Alive!” photo opportunity and celebrate Halloween in Milwaukee with a select cast of Pollard Banknote’s licensed characters. Don’t forget to check out some of the industry’s most revenue-driving print innovations, among them the proprietary Scratch FX® products; Flip Scratch™, a unique merging of pop-open windows and scratch-off games; and Pop Up +™, which combines our proven Big Ticket Pop-Ups™ and Scratch FX® products into a ticket with more gameplay surfaces and winning opportunities than ever. With Pop Up +™, players can fold along the perforations to separate the pieces into three distinct tickets: a self-standing decoration and two ornaments ideal for hanging. Pollard Banknote’s digital printing technology will also be prominently displayed. See how this technology allows for a greater number of distinct ticket images within an instant game while also enhancing ticket graphics, resulting in crisp, dynamic, and detail-rich visuals.

This year’s booth also demonstrates Pollard Banknote’s commitment to lottery innovation at retail with products that improve customers’ exposure and access to instant games, like easyVEND™, HALO, and the Digital Menu Board, to optimize sales opportunities. Come see a live demonstration of the easyVEND™ in-lane ITVM, which securely gets instant tickets into traditional multi-lane retailers and addresses the growing importance of self-serve solutions. HALO lets retailers illuminate their current lottery offerings with this cost-effective enhancement kit from Schafer Retail Solutions +, providing counter dispensers with color, lights, and branding. The sales-driving Digital Menu Board features an easily updatable LCD screen with customizable graphics to suit any market, along with the capacity to showcase video and animation, bringing a fresh visual dimension to instant games in the retail setting. It has helped lotteries boost sales between 13-17%.

Beyond offering outstanding games and retail excellence, Pollard Banknote’s investment in digital innovation continues to build momentum. The company now has more than 400 digital games across its diverse portfolio, including eInstant games created by the Pollard Digital Games Studio that enhance and optimize iLottery portfolios, engaging social establishment games from subsidiary Diamond Game, and Space Between™ games that seamlessly bridge the gap between retail and digital. Another Pollard Banknote company, mkodo, an award-winning mobile app and front-end provider, will be on hand to share its work and show off its GeoLocs geolocation software.

The most recent milestone in the digital space is the introduction of Pollard Banknote’s own full-scale omnichannel iLottery solution that builds on its expertise and pioneering technology, which the company is thrilled to showcase at this year’s booth. The PollardEdge™ Platform is truly modular and agile, delivering world-class user experiences for players that will drive revenue in an increasingly complex consumer environment. Additionally, it offers a 360-degree view of player data that can be used responsibly to generate engagement.

“We’re thrilled to be back at NASPL’s annual tradeshow to showcase our best innovations across all areas of our business, including games, retail, and digital solutions,” said Doug Pollard, Co-CEO, Pollard Banknote. “With the unveiling of our own iLottery platform and the exciting eInstant games we’re dreaming up, we’re bringing next-level innovation to the iLottery space. When these new digital innovations are aligned with core business advancements from our print and retail side that expand or highlight ticket choices and introduce new distribution options, we can present multiple omnichannel opportunities to our lottery partners to help drive success.” NASPL’s annual conference is one of the biggest industry events in North America. Attendees typically hail from all U.S. states, Canada, and other international locales. The conference focuses on education, networking, and exhibits from participating vendors. This year’s conference will be hosted at the Milwaukee Convention Center from October 30 to November 2, 2023. For more information, please visit www.naspl23.com.

About Pollard Banknote

Pollard Banknote is a leading lottery partner to more than 60 lotteries worldwide, providing high-quality instant ticket products, licensed games, in-lane ticket options, and sales-driving merchandising solutions from its Schafer Retail Solutions + portfolio. It also offers a full suite of digital offerings, ranging from world-class game apps to comprehensive player engagement and iLottery solutions, including strategic marketing and management services. The company is a proven innovator and has decades of experience helping lotteries to maximize player engagement, sales, and proceeds for good causes. Pollard Banknote also provides pull-tab tickets, bingo paper, ticket vending machines, and its Diamond Game and Compliant Gaming electronic games and devices to charitable and other gaming markets in North America.  Established in 1907, Pollard Banknote is owned approximately 64.2% by the Pollard family and 35.8% by public shareholders, and is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: PBL). For more information, please visit our website at www.pollardbanknote.com.

Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward-looking” statements and information, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this document, such statements include such words as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “plan,” and other similar terminology. These statements reflect management’s current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this document. There should not be an expectation that such information will in all circumstances be updated, supplemented, or revised whether as a result of new information, changing circumstances, future events, or otherwise.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Doug Pollard
Co-Chief Executive Officer        
E-mail: dpollard@pbl.ca

John Pollard
Co-Chief Executive Officer        
E-mail: jpollard@pbl.ca

Rob Rose
Chief Financial Officer        
E-mail: rrose@pbl.ca

Pollard Banknote
Telephone: (204)-474-2323