Bonus.com Q&A With Jackpocket: COS Caitlin Stojanovich on Lottery Ticket App’s Growth

Jackpocket COS Caitlin Stojanovich
Photo by Jackpocket

Even Americans who don’t consider themselves gamblers buy lottery tickets, especially when big jackpots are in play. Last month’s Mega Millions drawing for $1.337 billion was one such prize. Ticket buyers visited retail stores, state lottery sites, and apps. That’s where the lottery ticket app Jackpocket enters the picture.

Excitement about that as-yet-unclaimed July 29 Mega Millions jackpot made Jackpocket the No. 1 free app in the App Store, Jackpocket Chief of Staff Caitlin Stojanovich tells Bonus.com today.

For that and many more reasons, Jackpocket is growing.

The company founded in 2013 in Manhattan now serves 12 jurisdictions, is expanding into the US online casino space, and lists 130 employees on LinkedIn.

On Aug. 22, Jackpocket announced Stojanovich became one of those staffers.

Jackpocket Expects Expansion

Stojanovich is entering a newly created role.

Jackpocket Founder and CEO Peter Sullivan says in the announcement:

With Caitlin driving alignment, engagement, and continuous improvement across our organization, we’re poised to continue our expansion in terms of headcount, geographical footprint, and product offerings.

Stojanovich Is a Veteran Chief of Staff

Before becoming chief of staff at Jackpocket, Stojanovich served as an executive vice president for Virginia Beach, Va.-based defense and government supply company ADS Inc.

In keeping with a role like that at a defense industry supplier, it’s unclear what her responsibilities were as an EVP.

However, in her chief of staff role Stojanovich held at ADS in 2015, Jackpocket says she was in charge of “scaling company strategy and high-priority objectives across the organization of nearly 400 employees in multiple countries.”

Jackpocket says:

In that role, Stojanovich overhauled [ADS’] corporate communications and PR strategy and established the organization’s objectives and key results (OKR) framework.

At Jackpocket, she will now be a trusted partner to founder and CEO Peter Sullivan, working closely with him, the leadership team, and the Board of Directors on the continued transformation of the business.

LinkedIn shows ADS now has 581 employees.

Stojanovich Talks to Bonus.com

Jackpocket talked about Stojanovich. Now she speaks to Bonus.com.

Below questions from Bonus.com are in bold, and her answers are below.

What’s your first order of business in your new role?

My main focus as Chief of Staff will be on optimizing the productivity of the leadership team, leading high priority cross-functional initiatives, and identifying areas of opportunity across the business.

Where do you expect Jackpocket to expand next in its core business?

Jackpocket is available in 12 states across the US right now, and we are planning to expand into new markets soon, including another state in the Midwest in the coming weeks.

Michigan is not currently a target for this year.

Our current states are Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, DC. We most recently launched in Montana (early July) and New Mexico (late April).

The Jackpocket team works diligently with lawmakers in each potential market to ensure our app is fully compliant with lottery rules and regulations within each state. By cooperating and complying with state regulators, we’ve seen added success and adoption in every new market we’ve entered into, credentialing our business model with some of the biggest sports franchises in the US. It can take a little longer to add new states to our roster this way, but it always pays off in the long run.

What do you need to do before you launch an online casino in New Jersey?

In December of last year, we secured online market access in New Jersey for our forthcoming online casino product through Caesars Interactive Entertainment New Jersey, LLC, and are preparing for a 2023 launch. The team is currently in the process of selecting technology and content providers, hiring for key positions, and finalizing our go-to-market plans.

Which state is next in your online casino plan?

We are always connecting with regulatory bodies and key stakeholders in states throughout the US. While we don’t have immediate plans for an online casino launch in new states at this time, I won’t limit the possibility that this could change in the coming months.

Did you retain and engage recent Mega Millions ticket buyers?

Not only was Jackpocket the No. 1 entertainment app, but we also hit [as the] No. 1 free app in the entire App Store! Jackpocket normally sees an uptick in plays when jackpots surpass the $300 million mark …

We’re proud of the momentum the app saw in the App Store and our success during the Mega Millions run. In fact, we processed more Mega Millions tickets in a 4-day period than in all of Jackpocket’s second quarter. We are proud to report that we’ve nearly doubled active players QoQ to date.

To give our player base more chances to win after the Mega Millions reset, Jackpocket recently launched our “Win A Year’s Supply of Free Lottery Tickets” sweepstakes with chances to win free lottery credits for a week, a month, and even a year. It’s a fun and unique way to give back to our players.

What do you see as Jackpocket’s next big growth area?

We believe that Jackpocket has been effectively blazing a trail for all kinds of innovation in the lottery and mobile gaming industries. Our emphasis with Jackpocket and the industry is to eventually build the “mall” of mobile real money gaming. We think of our lottery product as the “anchor tenant” with mass appeal, based on our substantial growth over the last few years, as well as significant funding rounds. From there, our goal will be to have players visit our other “stores” — sweeps, slots, bingo, social games, sports lotteries, and other experiences — that will create new and exciting ways for them to engage with us.

The beauty of Jackpocket is that we appeal to both long-time lottery fans and to a younger, tech-savvy generation through compelling features, like the ability to play in a digital lottery pool with friends and colleagues, set up an Autoplay so you never miss a drawing, or place your ticket order seamlessly using Venmo or Apple Pay. In fact, over 65% of Jackpocket’s users are aged 45 and under.

More people are looking for digital-first gaming experiences, with Jackpocket being a safe, easy, and fun solution for them. To date, Jackpocket has had a total of more than 1 [million] individual winners who have claimed over $175 [million] in lottery prize money using the app across the country. Eighteen individual players have won prizes worth $1 [million] or more, to date.

What else should Bonus.com readers know about you?

I spent the last 11 years working in the defense contracting space, so am very familiar with working in a highly regulated space where a private company is focused on adding value to government agencies and initiatives that benefit the public. I grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, and decided it was time to make the transition from aerospace and defense into the gaming and tech industry. So when Jackpocket opened its second HQ here in the “Silicon Riviera” (the robust tech and startup pocket gaining momentum in the Santa Barbara area), it seemed like a sign that Jackpocket was the right place for my next chapter.

Actually, I first learned about Jackpocket when I was living in Hoboken and saw an ad on the PATH train on my way into Manhattan. While I grew up in CA and spent the last 10 years on the East Coast, I love the Midwest and have had the chance to spend lots of time there between getting my MBA at the University of Notre Dame and participating in an executive education course at the University of Michigan.

About the Author

Heather Fletcher

Heather Fletcher

Heather Fletcher is Lead Writer at Bonus, concentrating on online casino coverage. She specializes in breaking news, legislative coverage, and gambling marketing strategy overviews. To reach Heather with a news tip, email [email protected].
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