A week ago Tatts Group announced its results including growth for its own online sales:
Our continued investment in the Tatts.com website is also starting to deliver results with growth of 35.2% achieved through the online lottery sales channel. Online sales now represent 8.2% of all sales (excluding SA Lotteries)(FY12: 6.6%).
This is important information for newsagents to consider when investing in representing Tatts from signage through to a shop-fit. Invest in a way that respects your business and what you can achieve from it in a reasonable (three years I’d suggest) period of time.
In pursuing online and mobile opportunities Tatts Group is doing what it needs to do to drive shareholder value. Newsagents need to understand that Tatts must and will put its shareholders ahead of everyone else. This is why the objectives pursued by the company may not align with the objectives of retailers.
Footnote. In the results call transcript is an acknowledgement of a dip in sales of instant scratch tickets:
Instants are down 11% and are thought to have been impacted by the “attraction ” to our jackpot games – we are however looking at a number of initiatives to reinvigorate scratch-its.
From 1 Jul this year, Instants UP 11% from a very high base.
Thought provoking article in the weekend FR about the gambling industry and its attempt to tamper with the Interactive Gaming Act. The question has to be asked. If the gambling industry is successful will it open the way for online scratchit tickets?
AS the distinction between hard and soft gambling blurs it is important to remind those who make the relevant decisions that the spirit of lotto and scratchit tickets is about community and soft gambling.
Presently the coalition is cool on the notion of any change to the act. With the gambling lobby applying their spin this coolness may melt away.
I hope the ANF is monitoring the situation and ready to apply the necessary counter pressure. Even if it has form an alliance with the antigambling lobby, as strange as this might sound.