Plenary Sessions

JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER

LEADERSHIP AND THE ART OF ORCHESTRATING SUCCESS

Jean-Claude Biver is an animated and inspirational speaker. He is a passionate achiever whose life in the watch industry has spanned several decades. After working for such names as Audemars Piguet, Omega, and Blancpain, he became CEO of Hublot in 2004, as well as CEO of TAGHeuer and President of the LVMH Watch Division in 2014. Known as a brilliant marketer and a persuasive businessman, Jean-Claude Biver has been credited with revitalizing the Swiss watch industry after the "Quartz Crisis" in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, the Swiss watch industry has staged a remarkable recovery, with exports in 2014 exceeding CHF 21 Billion. In his opening keynote address, Mr. Biver will share his ideas on effective leadership and the role that it plays in organizational success.

BILAHARI KAUSIKAN

A WORLD IN TRANSITION

For the last two centuries, the international system has been largely shaped by the West. The world is however now undergoing a profound transition of power and ideas. The transition is likely to be measured in decades and where we are headed is far from clear. Three major inter-related factors will however shape the outcome. First, US-China relations. Second, political dysfunctionalities in all the major countries. Third, technological and demographic changes. As these factors play themselves out, the world is entering a phase of greater than usual uncertainty: Can war between the major powers be avoided? What kind of international institutions can best mitigate the uncertainties and reduce the probability of conflict? What can states and businesses do to navigate the uncertainties?

CHRIS HADFIELD

MANAGING COMPLEXITY AND CHANGE

Commanding a spaceship during an emergency has the highest of stakes: human lives, irreplaceably expensive equipment, and worldwide scrutiny. Spaceflight is an unforgiving business, with industry success riding on every launch and critical event. Colonel Chris Hadfield held multiple leadership and management positions during his 21 years in the astronaut corps, navigating tragedy, delays, program changes, and much more. Using multiple examples from his tremendous career, he will illuminate the necessity for both preparation and reaction to complex change.

CHRIS EATON

A SURE BET TO FIX SPORTS

From his background in international investigation while at INTERPOL, FIFA, and the International Centre for Sport Security, Chris will discuss the increasingly interdependent relationship between sports competitions and sports betting. In quantifying the global sports betting economy as four times larger than the sports economy itself, Chris will use case studies to showcase how global sports betting is mostly opaque, ignored, and poorly regulated overall. If the opposite can be achieved, namely a transparent, strictly monitored, and well-regulated betting economy, Chris assesses that sport betting would accordingly pose little threat to the integrity of sports.

Internationally, it is reliably estimated that 80 percent of all sports bets are made illegally. This itself is a serious problem. Moreover, illegal betting is a criminal enterprise, which cannot only be of concern to law enforcement officials, but should be on the mind of every sports fan.

Sports integrity in the field of play is deeply associated with betting today. Accordingly, there is an undeniable need for stronger supervision and regulation of sports betting – both nationally and internationally. While being proactive and up to the business challenge with innovative far reaching betting products, the lottery industry is also at the forefront, favoring responsible and cooperative sports betting approaches.

State lotteries bring to the sports betting matrix, familiarity with governments and bureaucracies, regulation and compliance, cooperation with enforcement, and a commitment to countering gambling addiction. The vast majority of the global sports betting industry is blind and ignorant to these key elements, but will inevitably face up to them in the not too distant future.

DR. JEFF JONAS

JIGSAW PUZZLES: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MAKING SENSE OF BIG DATA

Jeff Jonas is an acclaimed data scientist who thrives on solving some of the world’s most complex business challenges. His innovations extract useful intelligence from tsunamis of data. These systems tackle high-profile challenges ranging from detecting fraudulent behavior in casinos to identifying potential terrorists and earlier detection of surprise asteroids. Drawing on the familiar experience of putting a jigsaw puzzle together at home as a way to imagine how big data comes together to improve predictions – after this presentation, you will never think about data again the same way. With this new perspective, how you think about business imperatives like brand building, risk management and responsible gaming is going to change.

DR. LEA MEYER

REINVENTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REGULATORS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Dr. Lea Meyer holds a Ph.D. in Public Management from the University of Lausanne and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. She lectures at the University of Lucerne and is currently project manager and evaluator for the Swiss Parliamentary Control of the Administration. Through her consultancy she helps organizations orientate performance in relation to the regulatory environment. Dr. Meyer has done extensive research on the impact of government regulation on the organizational performance of gambling organizations. In her keynote address, Dr. Meyer will shed light on the mechanisms of public management in order to provide a better understanding of how state regulators operate and how lotteries can best work with their regulators to optimize their organizational performance.

JOE NGUYEN

WINNING IN ONLINE GAMBLING: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

In this keynote address, comScore Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Joe Nguyen will present a wealth of data and insights on the rapidly changing digital landscape in Asia Pacific and globally, from a consumer as well as an advertising perspective. In particular, he will do a deep dive into the latest trends in lotto/sweepstakes and online gambling to help the industry better understand the challenges and opportunities in the digital space, so as to develop the best strategies to win in this new world.

YU-KAI CHOU

THE POWER OF GAMIFICATION AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE 

The global movement of gamification has been effectively incorporating engagement science, behavioral economics, and big data into experiences that drive customer activity. This not only includes chance mechanics such as Lotteries, Mystery Boxes and Easter Eggs, but also methodologies to add social collaborative/competitive components, meaningful choices, progression and mastery into the process. Gamification Pioneer, Author, and original creator of the world-renowned Octalysis Framework, Yu-Kai Chou will explain the 8 Core Drives that motivate all our actions, how to balance White Hat and Black Hat Motivation, as well as designing for Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation.

The Octalysis Framework has been pursued by many organizations, including Stanford University, Google, Lego, Huawei, Cisco, eBay, AIG Japan, Fidelity Investments and Wartsila. Yu-Kai Chou will share design examples including how the Taiwanese government combined their lottery program with their receipt/invoicing system to increase tax collection by over 70% in a year, as well as how Netherlands authorities use the Postal Lottery to drive heavy engagement due to principles of Group Questing and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

Platinum Contributor Session

The WLA Platinum Contributors’ session has become a tradition at WLA conventions. In a novel change, this year sees the session move to a two-part format. In the first part, a discussion panel featuring selected top-level executives from the WLA Platinum Contributors – Scientific Games Corporation, INTRALOT Group, IGT, and NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions – will answer questions on some of the major issues affecting our industry today. In the second half, each Platinum Contributor has designated a speaker to give a short presentation underlining their views and opinions on themes previously discussed in the first-half panel session. Given the crucial role played by the service providers in supporting the lottery industry, and the wealth of opportunities they offer our member lotteries, the views from the WLA Platinum Contributors are sure to provide for entertaining and insightful session.

Moderator:

• Rebecca Paul Hargrove, President & CEO, Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, USA
   

Panel speakers:

• Antonios Kerastaris, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Member of the Board of Directors, INTRALOT Group
• Jim Kennedy, Executive Vice President and Group Chief Executive of Lottery, Scientific Games
• Frank Cecchini, CEO and Managing Director NOVOMATIC Lottery Solutions
• Declan Harkin, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, WLA International, IGT

Lotteries Summit and Pep Talk

Culminating the WLS 2016 business program will be the traditional Lotteries Summit and Pep Talk. A panel comprising a selection of lottery directors from around the world will revisit many of the themes covered in the WLS 2016 business program, discussing them in depth from the perspective of the lottery operator. Recapping such topics as gamification, organizational performance, and the impact of big data on our industry, the Lotteries Summit and Pep Talk promises to be a lively, stimulating, and collegial exchange of thoughts, perspectives, and opinions on the future of the lottery industry.

Moderator:

• Michelle Carinci, Chief Executive Officer, Lottotech, Mauritius

 
Panelists:

• Marion Caspers-Merk, Managing Director, Staatliche Toto-Lotto GmbH Baden-Württemberg, Germany
• Richard Cheung, Executive Director, Customer and Marketing, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong
• Rose Hudson, Chief Executive Officer, Louisiana Lottery, USA
• Younes El Mechrafi, General Director, La Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports, Morocco
• Inmaculada García, Chairman and CEO, Sociedad Estatal Loterías y Apuestas del Estado, Spain
• Luis Gama, Director, Dirección de Loterías y Quinielas, Uruguay
• Jean-Luc Moner-Banet, Chief Executive Officer, Loterie Romande, Switzerland