Improved the lotto “Winning Experience” at BCLC
BCLC’s lotto “winning experience” had confusing services and a slow prize-claim process, raising costs for the business.
I conducted field research and journey-mapping to understand lotto winners’ complete experiences. Insights led to service changes, like raising the prize-claim limit from $2,000 to $10,000.
What is BCLC?
BCLC is a government agency that manages legal gambling in British Columbia, Canada. It earns nearly $3 billion each year for the province. Its activities include lottery and casino games, both online and in-person, along with a responsible gambling program called GameSense.
Research triggers
BCLC’s prize-claim process for lotto players, called “the winning experience,” was disjointed and expensive, with misaligned policies and siloed teams. Some common examples:
Retailers were reluctant to honour small prizes, inconveniencing winners.
The online prize-claim process wasn’t well-known which was frustrating for people who travelled a long way to pickup their prize.
Front-line staff expressed frustration with opaque or duplicate policies.
Additionally, BCLC was investing in high-profile sports betting lounges at casinos which would put more pressure on the already strained prize-claim process.
My role
Working with 5+ person CX team, I led and coached them through field research and journey-mapping, to identify opportunities in reducing overhead and streamlining service delivery.
The team included one CX Manager, a Business Analyst, a Market Researcher, and a Designer.
The approach
I designed the study while we worked in the field to meet winners as they claimed their prizes, since we couldn't book them in advance. Besides fieldwork, I also helped conduct interviews with past lottery winners, created a survey for retailers, and ran interviews with staff at prize payout locations.
We then combined our notes and created a journey map, prioritizing opportunities based on our findings with business stakeholders.
Impact
Our work drove service changes at the company-level, including increasing the prize payout threshold from $2,000 to $10,000.
There were several near-term areas for improvement, such as clarifying customer support’s prize-claim process messaging, for when winners call to claim prizes.
The prize payout threshold had the greatest effect on both BCLC and winners. Winners could claim larger prizes at locations with better hours and access, easing the pressure on staff during busy times like the Superbowl or just after a $1 million lotto draw.
