EL/WLA Sustainability & Responsible Gaming Seminar 2025 🌿
From October 1 to 3, EL and the World Lottery Association (WLA) hosted the 2025 Sustainability and Responsible Gaming (SRG) Seminar in Vienna, Austria. More than 130 participants from around the world joined discussions on how to better understand, protect, and communicate with the next generation of players, citizens, and changemakers.
Under the theme "Tomorrow in Mind – Addressing the Expectations of the Next Generation", the seminar also explored the crucial topic of environmental responsibility and the role the lottery sector can play in protecting the planet.
The event began with a welcome reception in the beautiful Foyer of the Vienna Marriott Hotel - chosen for its green certifications and strong commitment to sustainability.
Over the following two days, participants engaged in a packed agenda structured around key sub-themes.
Communicating and protecting young adults
Together, we explored innovative ways to communicate with and protect your adults in the lottery sector. Lotteries Norsk Tipping, Rhode Island Lottery, ONCE, FDJ United, Westdeutsche Lotterie, Virginia Lottery, Adesso, and Pollard Banknote presented best-practice projects focused on protecting young adults and raising awareness about the risks of gaming and gambling addiction - often by involving younger generations and social influencers in their communication and marketing strategies.
Our special keynotes also shared valuable perspectives on this major topic.
Dr. Elisabeth Ponocny-Seliger – Psychologist University of Vienna - gave a lot of interesting insights about the new generations (Gen Z and alpha) to better understand their behaviors and communicate with them. As changemakers of tomorrow, we need to understand their preoccupations, challenges, fears, hopes but also consumption habits.
Dr. Michelle L. Malkin, from Scientific Games, USA, delivered a powerful presentation on harm-reduction strategies, emphasizing that effectively engaging emerging adults requires speaking their language - by tailoring terminology, tone, and tools to align with their values, lived experiences, and communication styles.
Responsible gaming and Sports
We had the pleasure to welcome Dr. Jeff Derevensky from McGill University, Canada, who shared valuable insights into gambling trends among youth and emerging adults. Through findings from multiple studies, he shed light on how younger generations engage with gambling, helping us better understand their behaviours, motivations, and risk factors.
As a best practice, Per Einar Karlsen from Norsk Tipping highlighted the importance of raising awareness and protecting athletes – who are particularly exposed to gambling-related risks - by educating them on responsible gaming and anti-match-fixing.
Environment
We then explored how responsible gaming intersects with broader societal impact.
Nadia Lambiase, Research Fellow at the University of Turin, introduced the concept of the circular economy and its importance for a sustainable future. With limited natural resources and growing environmental concerns, the lottery sector has a role to play - through initiatives such as recycling, reusing materials, and designing more sustainable terminals for instance. Her key message: economic growth must be aligned with reducing environmental impact across all levels of society.
Continuing the focus on circularity, Stefania Colombo showcased how Brightstar Lottery integrates sustainability into terminal design and lifecycle analysis. Kate Carlson highlighted the Hoosier Lottery’s operational strategies that support a circular economy, emphasizing waste reduction and resource efficiency.
Finally, Heidi Florence and Melissa Jacquérioz presented an update on EL’s Environmental Initiative, outlining current priorities and areas of focus. They offered a forward-looking perspective for both lotteries and their suppliers, and opened the floor to discuss challenges around Scope 3 emissions reporting - highlighting recommendations shared by participating lotteries.
👉 Want to learn more about the EL Environmental Initiative? Click here.
Our host Österreichische Lotterien welcomed participants to a memorable Vienna Evening Walk & Dinner at the historic Rathauskeller - an elegant cellar restaurant beneath the city’s iconic Rathaus. With its vaulted ceilings and imperial architecture, the venue offered the perfect setting to unwind, connect, and reflect on the day’s discussions.
The seminar was definitely a fruitful event, full of insights, food for thought, innovation, and action - all with "Tomorrow in mind".
Thank you to all participants and speakers. And a special thank you to the hosting lottery Österreichische Lotterien.
We encourage you all to stay engaged and explore how you can make a difference within your lottery, to create real impact for society and the planet.
