EL/WLA Marketing Seminar 2026: ''Content Is Queen'' - Crowning the Art of Storytelling in Barcelona
This week the EL/WLA Marketing Seminar returned to Barcelona for the second year in a row. With a record number of participants - over 200 - lottery executives, marketing professionals and creative leaders came together to explore how storytelling can help lotteries remain relevant, trusted and emotionally connected in an evolving landscape.
More than an exploration of the latest tools and trends, this year’s edition returned to the very heart of communications and marketing: content and storytelling.
Keynotes: From the foundations of storytelling to the importance of emotion and trust
‘’You have a great product or service, but people aren’t responding to your marketing – or your message. You’re brimming with enthusiasm, but you don’t know how to spread the word. You need a story’’.
The Seminar opened with Jack Murray, CEO & Founder of MediaHQ and All Good Tales, who introduced “The Magic Slice” - the point where what you want to say meets what your audience wants to hear. In a sector where magic and creativity matters, this intersection of authenticity, meaning and audience desire is what turns a message into a story that truly resonates.
In his Keynote “The Invisible Contract,” award-winning director Marco Gentile explored storytelling as a relationship of trust between brands and audiences – a trust now being tested in the age of automation and AI. Marco reminded us that capturing attention is an act of trust, and that ‘’storytelling is a moral act’’. While AI can scale stories, only humans carry the emotion, intention and credibility that makes them meaningful. Trust remains the foundation of communication – for the lottery sector and for society as a whole.
Closing the keynote sessions, Yiğit Sardan, Chairman of the Güzel Sanatlar Group & Medyapim reminded us that powerful storytelling is rooted in shared emotions and dreams. From ancient theatre to modern marketing, Yiğit showed that emotion, not logic, drives behaviour. ‘’Your heart is not just a pump; it’s your emotional project manager’’.
CEO Panels: Purpose, Values and Reputation
Interactive panel discussions with lottery CEOs provided strategic insights into how storytelling supports long-term trust and reputation.
Ray Bates, EL Honorary President and Andreas Kötter, CEO, WestLotto, explored how storytelling drives engagement and cross‑selling strategies, and how lotteries can innovate responsibly while keeping true to their mission, with meaning and authenticity at the core of their communication.
Integrating values into lottery storytelling, Lam Chee Weng, CEO Singapore Pools, Rita Prates, Vice President, Santa Casa, Portugal and Romana Girandon, President/CEO, Loterija Slovenije and EL President highlighted - in a panel moderated by Piet Van Baeveghem, EL Secretary General - the importance of coherent narratives that reflect lottery values beyond products alone. From the importance of cultural heritage and the history of lotteries to showcasing good cause contributions and employer branding, it is clear that responsibility, trust and integrity lie at the heart of lottery values and storytelling. The panelists emphasised the importance of stories that reflect who lotteries are - not just what they sell.
Moderated by Luca ESPOSITO, Executive Director, WLA, a US panel with Rebecca Paul, President and CEO, Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (USA), Gretchen Corbin, President and CEO of the Georgia Lottery Corporation and Mark Michalko, Executive Director, North Carolina Education Lottery, shared insights into storytelling, elaborating on the regulatory aspects that differ between states and impact what, and how they communicate with their players.
Creative partnerships of the future: Rethinking how we work together
This year’s Seminar also explored the changing partnerships between lotteries and creative agencies. Examining how client–agency relationships should evolve in response to new technologies — including AI — and changing expectations, a conversation with lottery marketing professionals and creative leaders emphasised the need for deeper partnerships built on trust, shared goals, and mutual accountability.
Steve Parkinson, Marketing & Brand Director, Allwyn UK, Michael Rittmannsberger, Director Lottery Products, Austrian Lotteries and Jack Blanga, VP Executive Creative Director, Newlink Italy all gave their expert perspectives on the topics from how partnerships are evolving to expectations in the coming years.
Whether its working with a big international agency or a smaller in house studio – the principles and values remain the same – the partnership is built on trust. In an evolving digital landscape, AI should not be seen as the enemy of creativity. Instead, it can act as a powerful tool reshaping how stories are made. Through evolving creative partnerships between lotteries and agencies, the key to good storytelling is authentic narratives with a human touch.
Key takeaways
In addition to the inspiring keynotes and insightful panel discussions, lottery marketers themselves brought the importance of storytelling to the Seminar. Whether it was through creative commercials or the Gen Z lens, this year's edition reaffirmed that while channels and tools continue to change, emotional and trustworthy storytelling remains the cornerstone of effective lottery marketing. The EL Partners and WLA Contributors also brought their perspectives on storytelling from the suppliers side.
By staying true to their purpose and values — with message comes before medium — lotteries can continue to build meaningful connections with players and society alike through the fundamental art of storytelling. After all, content really is queen.
Book already your calendar for the next edition : The 2027 EL/WLA Marketing Seminar will take place January 20-22, 2027, again in Barcelona (ICE 2027 dates : Jan 18-20, 2027)
