Pennsylvania iLottery players looking for a simpler gameplay experience now have a new game category catering to that desire: EZ eInstants by Instant Win Gaming (IWG). The Keystone State is the first in the US to offer this line of IWG games featuring easy-to-understand mechanics and the chance to win a progressive jackpot. Players can choose from three games:
- Firework Fortune Frenzy
- Prospector’s Gold Rush
- Treasure Tomb
All three contribute to the same jackpot pool, which had already exceeded $57,000 the first day the games were available.
Many iLottery games by IWG and other suppliers to the Pennsylvania iLottery have complex gameplay that provides an almost slots-like feel, with cascading symbols and cluster-pay mechanics. Conversely, the new EZ eInstants aim to attract lottery players who want something more straightforward. The EZ eInstants instantly reveal if the player won a prize by way of an animation:
- In Firework Fortune Frenzy, a winning play results in the launch of a firework.
- In Prospector’s Gold Rush, the player wins if a crate of dynamite explodes.
- In Treasure Tomb, the chest opens if the player wins a prize.
Drew Svitko, Executive Director at Pennsylvania Lottery, shared his excitement about the new game category:
These games, provided by IWG, will be a great addition to our existing portfolio, offering up new experiences that cast a wider net of game play appeal, and in turn, create incremental revenues for older Pennsylvanians. We have several EZ eInstant games in our future release plans, and we cannot wait to see how players respond to this new category.
Rhydian Fisher, CEO of IWG, congratulated Pennsylvania Lottery for launching the new games. He added that providing online lottery players with new game types will increase engagement and attract new players.
The Pennsylvania Lottery plans to launch more EZ eInstants in the coming months.
What Are EZ eInstants?
The new game category allows players to play for as little as $0.10 per game, which is lower than most instant games available in Pennsylvania. Also, unlike most other eInstants, players don’t have to match three symbols to win a prize. Instead, after a short animation, the game immediately tells them if they have won an award.
That said, there’s still some variety to reward dedicated play. Each EZ eInstant has bonus features that offer more interaction. Each works the same way. When the player wins a bonus round, the game presents them with 12 play spots, each hiding a prize, including the progressive jackpot and a smaller secondary jackpot. The player picks spots to reveal until they’ve revealed three matching symbols, winning the corresponding prize.
IWG’s EZ eInstants aim to cater to players looking for a no-frills experience but still provide the chance to win large prizes. In terms of design philosophy, they’re the iLottery equivalent of Design Works Gaming’s Luckytap casino games. Since online casino gaming is also legal in Pennsylvania, players who enjoy one of these product lines can try the other: you’ll find Luckytap at Borgata Online, BetMGM Casino, and DraftKings.
Luckytap games’ gameplay varies, but they don’t have paylines like slots. Like IWG’s EZ eInstants, winning or losing is presented to the player as a simple animation. For instance, in Flippin’ Rich, the player flips coins toward a wishing well; those that go in result in prizes. As with the EZ eInstants, the target market is players who don’t want to have to interpret symbols and read pay tables to understand why they won or not.
PA iLottery Offers Over 30 Progressive Jackpot eInstants
With the addition of the three EZ eInstants, Pennsylvania iLottery players have access to 32 progressive jackpot eInstants. These include additional titles by IWG as well as a few other suppliers. For instance, Monopoly Property Payout by Scientific Games features the popular Monopoly theme. Many of these games are connected across multiple states, and jackpot sizes vary. Some are currently sitting at over half a million and often reach over $1 million.
Progressive jackpot eInstants have grown in popularity as state lotteries aim to remain competitive with real-money casinos. The partnership between the Pennsylvania iLottery and IWG could see other casino-like gimmicks brought to the state. For instance, the New Hampshire Lottery picked IWG’s unique Triple Eagle Bonus eInstant, which allows players to pick one of three bonus rounds, each with a different level of volatility. IWG has a creative approach to instant iLottery development that goes far beyond what players have come to expect from physical scratch-offs.
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