Hitting the jackpot

Not only does the California Lottery change the lives of those who win big, but behind the scenes, there’s a group of people who also benefit enormously from its funds.

“We provide supplemental funding for public education,” Director Harjinder Shergill Chima explains. “Although the percentage that we give is a drop in the bucket – a modest number for the state’s annual budget for public schools – in the past three years, we’ve given over US$2 billion annually. It has made such an impact.”

With such immense, tangible advantages to playing the lottery, not only for the individual but also the entire community, when Shergill Chima – who is an attorney and has worked in the state service for two decades – stepped into the role of Director in 2023, she made it her goal to get word out about the California Lottery’s larger mission.

“We’ve really tried to educate the public that every time you buy a lottery ticket, win or lose, you are supporting public education,” she says.

“Our public affairs team came up with a fantastic idea for an advertising campaign where we put a call out to all the public schools in California and asked them to explain how they’re using their Lottery dollars. We’ve received so many responses that we can’t use them all. We’re highlighting all the different things that we do, and consumers are hearing about these directly from the educators and the students.”

Given the altruistic philosophy at the heart of the California Lottery, it’s not surprising that the organization attracts a certain type of employee – one who values culture and community.

“I think we attract a lot of good-quality candidates because of the work that we put out,” Shergill Chima explains. “It’s funny, I follow this Reddit page about state workers and sometimes people will say, ‘I really want to work at the lottery, but it means I can’t play the lottery anymore.’

“The people who come here are just driven to do good. It bodes well; it’s such a fun place to work.”

Leadership draw

Part of that reason is certainly thanks to the leadership style of Shergill Chima, who empowers her more than 1,000 employees across 12 California Lottery offices to make independent decisions, and always listens and sets clear expectations.

“I’m someone who focuses on letting the subject matter experts be the experts,” she says. “I am not a fan of micromanagement, but I’m fully engaged. I collaborate with them when I can, I coach, listen and I trust them.”

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“The California Lottery is a leading innovator in the lottery industry, and we are proud to have the company as our customer for many years. Director Harjinder Shergill Chima represents the best of our industry, and we look forward to continuing to work with her and her skilled team to elevate lotteries and inspire players.” – Scott Gunn, Chief Operating Officer, Brightstar Lottery

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Since its inception in 1984, the California Lottery has had more than 23 directors, something Shergill Chima seeks to change with a longer tenure to encourage stability across the organization.

“Without consistency at the top, there was chaos within the departments,” she recalls. “In prior years, as new directors came and went, there was a lot of back and forth with priorities. Consistency is the foundation for empowerment.

“I want to be remembered for being the longest-serving Lottery director here so that we can focus on improving the culture and continuing to maximize the funding to public education, because that’s really what it’s all about – I know our employees care deeply about that mission.”

Unicorn role

California has one of the most regulated lotteries in the United States, and although it is self-funded, the California Lottery isn’t able to make any online sales. That said, management is always looking for ways to innovate, utilize technological advancements and improve the overall user experience.

“We’re kind of a unicorn in that, yes, we’re a lottery, but we’re also a state department,” Shergill Chima explains. “So we really have to work within the state framework. But despite the most strenuous regulations, we are currently the number two lottery in the United States.

“What differentiates us is the diversity of our more than 23,000 retail partners, our players and how large and populated our state is.”

Prioritizing open communication and a collaborative dynamic means that the California Lottery has built strong partnerships with essential suppliers, such as Brightstar Lottery.

“Trust is what leads to exponential growth for both parties, right?” Shergill Chima asks. “Because we’re all trying to do the same thing, which is maximize funding, whether it’s for public education or for their business.

“We meet consistently, let them know what our expectations are, hear their concerns and really build trust with the vendors.”

Raising the stakes

During the COVID-19 pandemic, lotteries across the United States experienced astronomical growth, which proved both a blessing and a curse for the California Lottery.

“That was primarily because people were really limited in what they could do,” Shergill Chima confirms. “They couldn’t travel, but you still went to the grocery store or to get gas, so you were able to buy Scratchers®.

“Now that things are normalizing and we have all the other avenues open again, our sales have started to normalize and slow a little bit.”

Shergill Chima explains that now the challenge is to keep the Lottery’s regular players engaged with new offerings and by expanding game options.

“We try to appeal to the different interests of our diverse player base,” she says.

Between the greater goal of funding public education and the potential to win a life-altering sum of cash, there surely needn’t be additional reasons to purchase a lottery ticket. And yet, as Shergill Chima enthuses, it’s ultimately also about reminding customers of the considerable entertainment value.

“We’re repositioning our Scratchers tickets so that Californians are aware that it’s not just about scratching and if you win or lose. It’s actually about the fun of playing the game,” she points out.

“We have a fantastic range of games like bingo, Monopoly and more, so we’re really trying to make it more about the play.”