The biggest "mystery" in the new Lotto adverts is not how the McConnells agency managed to create two Ronan Collinses but what the tactics are behind the new Lotto Plus game. Mr Ray Bates, National Lottery director, is confident that once people see the new game in action - it started last night - then all would become clear.
Despite repeated advertising, the Lottery's other game - the somewhat confusing 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - is still a niche product generating £9 million (€11.44 million) last year - a relatively small amount considering that two out of every three people regularly buy a National Lottery product. What is clear is that Lotto Plus is a nifty way to lever an extra 50p out of punters' pockets. Mr Bates admits that most people will choose to increase their basic stake from £1.50 to £2 by ticking the two Lotto Plus boxes. The marketing drive behind the game is small scale by National Lottery standards. The short TV campaign is being supported by limited press advertising which would seem to indicate an outlay of less than £200,000.
The Lottery spends £5-£6 million a year on advertising and marketing - Mr Bates will not be pinned down to an actual figure "for competitive reasons" - and it is unclear from the annual report how much the promotional outlay is. Besides scratch cards, Lotto Plus is the National Lottery's second new game this year. TeleBingo got off to a slow start and suffered a dip in player numbers when the game shifted in RTE's schedule from Tuesday to Friday nights. Part of the confusion as to what the new game is about could lie with the TV advertisements' slightly disingenuous cloning theme. Lotto Plus is different from the main game in the only way that counts - the prize money.
In the main draw, players can win a minimum of £1 million for their 75p panel. The top prize for the extra 25p is £250,000 but there are smaller payouts for match 5, match 4 and so on.
"We regularly have repeat Lotto draws on bank holidays," says Mr Bates "and our research showed that people like a second chance to win."
The new game will certainly be good news for the bookies. People who bypass their local Lotto agents and head for the bookies to play any one of the numerous Lotto games available there are now spending £30-£35 million annually. For Paddy Power bookmakers, 15 per cent of all transactions are lottery-related and 5 per cent of its turnover comes from people betting on lottery games, including the National Lottery.
