Stoloto, Russia’s largest lottery distributor, has announced a partnership with tournament organiser Epic Esports Events for the upcoming $300,000 (£228,066) Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament EPICENTER held in Moscow at the end of the month.
As part of the activation, attendees will have the ability to win over 100 prizes live at EPICENTER. Fans that also purchase a Stoloto lottery ticket will have the chance to win a trip to an international CS:GO tournament in Europe, no word on which one exactly.
Stoloto is under S8 Capital Holding and while it’s not necessarily gearing this activation towards esports betting, it is looking to “gamify” lotteries in Russia and appeal to a younger audience.
Albert Usmanov, Head of Digital Market for S8 Capital said: “In the next 2-3 years we are planning to ‘reboot’ the perception of lotteries as entertainment for older generations and to show that they can be a source of drive and enjoyment for young people as well.”
Varvara Basanovich, Head of Operational Marketing at Stoloto said: “The young audience does not deem the current structure and gameplay of lotteries modern. We consider changing the format to make lotteries more appealing to the youth. One of the aspects we are focused on is gamification of our lotteries.”
Citymobil was also announced as a service partner for EPICENTER just last month and holds other sponsorships with Monster Energy, ASUS Republic of Gamers, and Russian mobile carrier Yota.
Esports Insider: It’s a little surprising that a lottery distributor wouldn’t aim towards esports betting for a tournament partnership, but it’s also a little refreshing, in a sense. The non-endemic partnership is hoping to bring a younger audience into betting by way of the lottery and what better way to do that than with a CS:GO tournament partnership?