Case Study
Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires (LOTBA)
Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires Case Study
The Goal
Each day, the gaming, sports betting, and lottery industries face the challenge of demonstrating to the public they are responsible organizations operating in society’s best interest. With that daily challenge, WLA (World Lottery Association) member company Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA) was also faced with rapidly evolving technologies and consumer behavior regarding online gaming. LOTBA wanted to find a way to take that opportunity to leverage those same technologies to expand their responsible gaming program to this new vertical. They also wanted to establish a responsible gaming program and framework that, as a lottery, would allow them to achieve the highest levels of certification under the WLA certification program.
LOTBA was seeking a way to strike a perfect balance between commerce and regulation in the area of responsible gaming. LOTBA also wanted to balance their dual roles as the lottery operator and as the regulator of online gaming in the jurisdiction, both in terms of complying with and setting standards and best practices for responsible gaming.
Having worked with GLI since 2004, LOTBA turned to GLI and its Professional Services division with five goals:
- Reach the highest levels of certification from the World Lottery Association’s (WLA) responsible gaming program
- Increase their levels of compliance
- Establish a basis for forming responsible gaming policy for online gaming operators in their jurisdiction
- Develop technical standards to address the responsible gaming aspects of future online gaming operations
- Establish an operator´s responsible gaming certification program as part of their permits’ responsibilities
The Deliverables
GLI brought a firm knowledge base to the project. GLI has been working with LOTBA since 2004, providing advisory, consulting, training, auditing, and certification services. Because of this long-term relationship and experience, GLI was intimately familiar with LOTBA, including their challenges and goals. Moreover, GLI has a deep knowledge of WLA, and GLI’s global team of experts has decades of combined experience with WLA audits, accreditation, and standards.
To help LOTBA accomplish its goals, GLI deployed a global team of professionals, using a disciplined consulting approach to deliver an array of services, including an exhaustive survey, analysis, and evaluation of LOTBA’s responsible gaming program, as well as the visualization of the transversality and reach of any intervening areas.
GLI’s services included collaboration on the preparation for the WLA responsible gaming certification presentation, which included understanding and identification of gaps and opportunities for improvement.
GLI also provided technical advice, collaborating on the development of a set of technical requirements to address the requirements that operators and suppliers will need to comply at the gaming platform and games offer level for online gaming. Compliance with the technical requirements guarantees player protection and auditability that allow for the identification of problem gambling and further actions that should follow to support a safe and healthy gaming environment.
The Results
With GLI’s support, LOTBA obtained WLA Level 3 certification, a significant milestone, and one that positions LOTBA as one of the most committed lotteries to responsible gaming in the region. By helping LOTBA prepare for and successfully pass its WLA audit, GLI empowered LOTBA to increase their own compliance with WLA guidelines.
Additionally, because of its global reach and involvement in more than 480 jurisdictions, GLI brought to light other responsible gaming best practices that LOTBA was able to incorporate into its role as the lottery, as well as its role in regulating online gaming. This allowed LOTBA to establish a responsible gaming and certification program for operators, further boosting consumer and governmental confidence in the industry and finding the right balance between commerce and regulation.
The Future
Under LOTBA’s steady hand, the future for lottery and online gaming is bright, even as technologies and consumer behaviors continue to evolve. Lotteries worldwide can apply LOTBA’s experience to their own jurisdictions, and GLI’s Professional Services division can help in multiple ways.
GLI’s Professional Services Division has four practice areas of services, each specifically designed to make doing business in the lottery and gaming industry faster and more effective: Software Quality Assurance & Testing; Core Systems Modernization; Governance / Risk / Compliance; and Lottery & Gaming Practice, which includes the World Lottery Association Security Control Standards (WLA SCS) and WLA Responsible Gaming Framework services.
For more information on LOTBA’s responsible gaming program visit saberjugar.gob.ar/.
