The West Virginia Lottery celebrates its 40th Anniversary

As a 35-year veteran of the West Virginia Lottery, Director David Bradley is a walking history book of gaming in the Mountain State. He's watched the lottery evolve from offering a single scratch-off ticket to scratch-offs, multi-state games, sports betting, and i-gaming.

Now, as the state lottery celebrates its 40th anniversary, Bradley has generously agreed to sit down with Lottery USA for an exclusive interview to share his thoughts on everything from the new Millionaire for Life game to the state's focus on updating games for the smartphone era.

40 years strong

Q: This year, the West Virginia Lottery celebrates its 40th anniversary. How do you plan to celebrate?

A: For our 40th anniversary, we're planning a back-to-our roots tour and campaign that will feature 40 stops around the state at our retailers. And it'll include big communities, big and small, from all over the state for the next several months. So that's exciting. All of our players who come out to celebrate will have a chance to win both at the drawings we hold at the promos, and they'll also have a chance to enter a drawing for the end of the tour, where we're going to give away four $10,000 prizes. So we're excited about that. And we're also giving away over $2.7 million in loyalty prizes for the entire tour.

Q: You've worked at the West Virginia Lottery for over three decades. What are the biggest changes you've seen in that time?

A: When I first came here, all we offered were traditional lottery games. And now we're offering every form of legal gaming that's available. We've most recently added sports wagering, i-gaming, and i-lottery. We're in the age of technology and digital platforms, and we're excited that we're able to offer all of the products out there.

And I think it's important for the West Virginia Lottery to challenge our staff so we can stay relevant and current in the industry. The lottery's always changing, and it's exciting. And I'm proud to say that we've been able to adjust and reinvent ourselves to stay current with our players and the industry.

Evolution of gaming

Q: How do you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the lottery?

A: I just think that we have to stay flexible, relevant, and be able to adapt. And it's tough for lotteries because of what we mean to the state budget. That's why we need to make sure that we're always relevant, current, and new.

Q: What's the biggest change that you're currently tackling?

A: Now everything is going to where people are on their phones. That's the biggest change for guys like me is we need to make sure our games are available to our players where they want them, and now it's right there on those handheld devices. So it's just crazy how the industry's changed and where we've gone, because I would have never dreamed that I was going to be paying my water bill, electric bill, or house payment online, or going to a restaurant and handing the waiter my phone to pay.

You can purchase food, tickets, pretty much everything over our phone now. So I think that's the biggest thing that our players have to look forward to is us being able to reach them out there and to be able to make those things available where they want them. So we continue to stand out in the industry, and hopefully, we're at the forefront of whatever innovations or technology is out there and offering the new games that people want.

Q: What new games do you see players looking for today?

A: Traditional games have evolved, too, with faster play and multipliers on our tickets. And with both scratch-offs and in the digital space, we try to stay trendy without overcomplicating the process. The biggest thing that's just been where you used to go into the retailer and just buy an instant ticket or your favorite game. And now we have to find ways to reach all of our customer base. So it's just like that digital age of just reaching out to our players with their iPhones, cell phones, or whatever they're using.

I think that's been the biggest single change, and I think that's true in our lives in general. You think about us and my age, when I first started with the lottery, there was no such thing as a cell phone, man. It was a pager, then we had a flip phone.

But technology's just evolved where everything's out there at our fingertips, and it is faster, quicker, more efficient. So I think that's where the challenge is for not only the West Virginia Lottery, but the industry as a whole. But I am proud to say that I think we've done a tremendous job of offering all the games that are legal, and we've done a tremendous job of making all those games available on different platforms and reaching all the players.

Giving back

Q: How does the West Virginia lottery give back to the community?

A: So when folks in our state play, our state benefits, and everybody wins. Since the lottery's inception, we've given over $13.7 billion in funding to the state for veterans, seniors, education, and tourism. So I think that's a lot to be proud of. And I think it's exciting. I tell our folks all the time that we have to make sure people know that when they buy a lottery ticket and support the West Virginia lottery, we're giving back to the state.

We have a variety of programs out there, but the Promise Scholarship is huge for the state of West Virginia. It gives any college student in West Virginia a chance to attend an in-state school and have their tuition paid for. So that's just incredible. And that's the feel-good part of what we do: being able to give those proceeds back to West Virginia citizens by supporting seniors, education, and tourism.

Q: West Virginia now offers the new multi-state draw game Millionaire for Life. What drove the creation of this new game?

A: The multi-state games are an important part of the industry. It's important not only for the West Virginia Lottery but also for our industry. And they play a big role in all the lotteries, not only in West Virginia, but across the board. So we're proud, and we're always excited when MUSL (Multi-State Lottery Association) comes up with new games. But I think personally, the thing that sets this game apart is that you can say, "Hey, somebody who buys a ticket has a chance to be a millionaire for life." It's a type of game and a type of play that our players have been asking for for a long time. So it's a perfect opportunity, and we're eager to see how it does. We're going to hopefully have a few millionaires for life in West Virginia. So it's exciting.

Q: Was Millionaire for Life created just by listening to what players are interested in?

A: It was. So this game was sort of developed in response to player demand. And I think MUSL does a great job of trying to, as I said earlier, stay relevant, trying to find new games, and trying to find what that niche is. I just think it's a great new opportunity, something that's a little bit different. And I mean, you got a chance to be a millionaire for life. I'll tell you something else. The secondary prize is $100,000 for life. So that's not too shabby either.

Q: You've worked for the lottery for 35 years. In all that time, do you have a favorite winner?

A: I'll say, in all my years here at the lottery, I've seen a lot of winners come in, and people ask me all the time, "What's your favorite story or what's your ... Tell us something about it. " And the thing that I've seen over the years is people just want to win something, whether it's $5, $10, they just want to win. I'll tell you, and I truly believe this, that some of the most excited people that I've seen come in are people who win $100 or $500, and they were just excited that they won something. So I think sometimes we get numb as an industry or as a lottery, and you say, "Man, if it's not a million dollars, it doesn't mean anything." Well, we have games and prizes where people win $25,000, $50,000, and $10,000. And I think those are feel-good stories, too.

In my 35 years, I just think it's exciting that some of the most excited people that I've seen come in, it might not have been life-changing money, but they won. But when somebody wins $25,000 or $50,000, that money helps them maybe pay off their car, maybe pay off their house, or student loans. So what's life-changing for me or you? It's different for everybody, but it's interesting and always exciting when you have somebody walk in the lobby, or you're out at a store, and you hear that somebody won. So while we love to see those jackpot winners and the life-changing stories, someone winning $100,000, $50,000, $25,000, $10,000, man, that can do a lot of good for a lot of people. So I just think it's important not to lose focus on those types of winners too, because at the end of the day, that's what keeps us going.

We thank Director Bradley for making the time to sit down with us.