Brightstar Lottery Secures Exclusive Five-Year Licence for Pan Am-Themed Omnichannel Lottery Games
Brightstar Lottery PLC (NYSE: BRSL) has signed a five-year exclusive licensing agreement with Pan American World Airways, LLC to develop and distribute Pan Am-themed lottery games worldwide. The deal covers instant tickets, draw-based games and iLottery titles, giving one of aviation’s most recognisable heritage brands a new home in the lottery category.
The partnership goes further than branding. Brightstar says it will draw on Pan Am’s decades of experience in curated luxury trip planning and dedicated concierge services to bring once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities to lottery players and to winners of second-chance promotions.
Inside the Brightstar and Pan Am licensing agreement
The agreement is exclusive, worldwide and runs for five years. It gives Brightstar the rights to develop and distribute Pan Am-themed omnichannel lottery games across three formats: compelling instant tickets, innovative draw-based games and engaging iLottery titles.
The omnichannel scope is central to the deal, placing the Pan Am brand across the full range of lottery play. For Brightstar, it means a single heritage brand running through its game portfolio rather than a one-off themed title.
Pan Am travel prizes built into the games
Beyond game development, Brightstar will use Pan Am’s trip-planning and concierge expertise to turn the licence into a prize mechanic. The plan is to bring once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities to players and to winners of second-chance promotions.
Craig Carter, CEO Pan Am Global Holdings, said the partnership opens a new channel for the brand and ties it back to Pan Am’s heritage of global travel.
“Pan Am is one of the most recognizable names in travel, and we’re excited to partner with Brightstar to bring our brand to the lottery category. Through this partnership, players will have new opportunities to engage with the Pan Am brand through games and promotions inspired by our legacy of connecting people, places, and cultures around the world.”
How Pan Am rewards power second-chance promotions
The prize structure is the part operators will notice. Matthew Whalen, Brightstar Senior Vice President, Global Instant Ticket Services, pointed to travel-led rewards as the differentiator, describing experiences built to suit a range of destinations and budgets.
“Pan Am is a globally recognized brand that has inspired generations to see the world, and Brightstar is excited to translate that enduring legacy into compelling experiences for lottery players to enjoy. Through this partnership, players will have access to engaging lottery offerings and unique second-chance promotions inspired by the Pan Am brand, including customized travel packages, VIP access, and white-glove journeys tailored to a range of destinations and budgets.”
Tying a real travel experience to a lottery ticket changes what the game is selling. Second-chance promotions gain a far stronger hook when the reward is a curated journey, and the range of budgets Whalen describes means the prizes can scale across different games.
Why a 1927 travel icon fits the lottery market
Pan Am was originally established in 1927 and became one of the world’s most recognised airlines. It remains an enduring cultural icon associated with the golden age of international air travel. That recognition is the asset here. In a market full of interchangeable titles, a brand players already know carries built-in familiarity, and both companies have framed the partnership around that legacy of global travel.
Brightstar’s global reach behind the Pan Am games
Brightstar describes itself as a global leader in lottery, serving nearly 90 lottery customers and their players on six continents. It is the primary technology provider to 26 of the 46 lottery jurisdictions in the United States, and serves eight of the world’s 10 largest lotteries with central systems, with approximately 6,000 employees.
A branded content line that can reach across that footprint is a real distribution advantage for the licence, giving the Pan Am games a potential route to players on six continents.
What the Pan Am deal signals for lottery content
For operators, the Brightstar and Pan Am partnership is a live test of branded content as a differentiation tool, and of whether an experience-led prize can lift engagement.
With a five-year exclusive term, Brightstar has room to build a full slate of Pan Am games and promotions worldwide. If travel-led rewards land with players, the deal could set a template for more heritage brands entering the lottery category.
Source: Brightstar Lottery
