The winning ticket

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This article was published 28/02/2025 (208 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After operating iLottery programs in multiple jurisdictions as part of a joint venture, Winnipeg lottery product supplier Pollard Banknote has struck out on its own and successfully created an iLottery program for the Kansas Lottery.

The Kansas Lottery launched the program earlier this month. It came just 10 months after initial scoping, making it the fastest implementation of a full iLottery in U.S. history.

Pollard Banknote continues to be a partner with NeoGames, an Israeli company, in NeoPollard Interactive. The joint venture, which was established a decade ago, currently has five long-term iLottery contracts.

Pollard Banknote previously relied on NeoGames for iLottery software technology. According to Doug Pollard, co-CEO, his company’s work with the Kansas Lottery proves it can work in the iLottery space independently with its own end-to-end technology: the Pollard Catalyst Gaming Platform.

“Throughout our company there is a tremendous sense of pride in the achievement,” he said. “We’re very proud of what we’ve done and very excited for what this opens up in the future.”

Players in Kansas are able to play popular draw-based games including Powerball and Mega Millions, and an initial offering of nine eInstant games from the Pollard Digital Games Studio. Pollard Banknote is providing marketing support for the program.

The company started developing the Pollard Catalyst Gaming Platform after it acquired Next Generation Lotteries, a provider of lottery management and iLottery technology, in January 2021.

Pollard Banknote was excited about the opportunity to work with the Kansas Lottery, but also “a little bit terrified,” according to Doug Pollard, because it was the company’s first time implementing the Pollard Catalyst Gaming Platform.

When Kansas launched its iLottery and successfully held its first Mega Millions and Powerball draws, Pollard Banknote employees were elated, he said.

“People were thrilled. They’re very proud of what they’ve achieved, and justifiably so in my opinion.”

The Kansas Lottery was also thrilled, according to Stephen Durrell, executive director.

“Despite the inherent complexity of launching an iLottery program, the planning and implementation process went very smoothly, owing to the strength and flexibility of Catalyst and the comprehensive support from the team at Pollard Banknote,” Durrell said in a news release. “We really appreciate their leadership and their partnership.”

Pollard Banknote announced its partnership with the Kansas Lottery last August.

The news came three weeks after the company disclosed to shareholders that it had not been awarded the Michigan Lottery’s iLottery contract, which is currently held by NeoPollard Interactive. Starting in July 2026, NeoGames will supply iLottery and related services to the Michigan Lottery.

Created by NeoPollard Interactive, Michigan’s iLottery program quickly became “the gold standard” after it was launched in 2014, according to Phil Bernard, a vice president at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, a research and consulting firm in California that services the global gaming industry.

“Kansas won’t make up for the future loss of Michigan, but it is extremely meaningful and is an opportunity for Pollard to prove it has a viable standalone iLottery offering,” Bernard told the Free Press in August, adding: “This is a huge moment for Pollard and its future in iLottery in the U.S.”

Doug Pollard hopes his company’s work in Kansas gives other lotteries greater confidence to choose Pollard Banknote in what is a growing space; he notes that only about 10 U.S. states currently have iLottery programs.

Companies that hire Pollard Banknote get not only its technology but the expertise the company has acquired after almost four decades as a lottery product supplier, he said.

“That’s a great combination,” he said. “Great people and great technology.”

While its iLottery offerings are growing, the company remains committed to printing lottery tickets, he added.

Since the company started printing scratch-and-win tickets in 1986, it has grown into the second-largest such producer in the world.

“We still very much believe in retail scratch-and-win lottery tickets and all the surrounding products around that category, and now we’ve got another tool in our toolbelt in this digital iLottery space,” he said. “We’re going to continue to be great at producing instant tickets.”

Established in 1907 as a commercial print shop, today Pollard Banknote serves more than 60 lottery and charitable gaming organizations worldwide.

The company employs around 2,300 people across North America and Europe.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca