European Lotteries and WLA Highlight Trust and Cyber Resilience at 2025 Security Seminar in Oslo

Themed “Trust in the Supply Chain: Resilience and Oversight,” the event focused on how lotteries can strengthen operational integrity amid growing cyber threats and increasingly complex supplier networks, with an emphasis on maintaining public trust among players, regulators, beneficiaries, and society at large.

Opening the seminar, Sofie Nystrøm, CEO of Fortified Technologies and former head of the Norwegian National Security Authority, highlighted the escalating sophistication of digital attacks. “Trust is under pressure,” she warned, stressing that robust, transparent practices across suppliers are essential to safeguarding the industry.

The seminar featured diverse discussions on risk management and operational resilience. Fabien Maréchal from FDJ United outlined frameworks for managing third-party exposure, while Gennaro Borrelli of Brightstar Lottery explored the emerging “AI versus AI” landscape, showing how artificial intelligence can both bolster defenses and create new attack vectors. Pablo Berloso from SELAE recounted Spain’s nationwide power outage in spring 2024, demonstrating how redundant systems allowed uninterrupted operations, while Hungary’s Szerencsejáték Zrt explained how supplier oversight is embedded into daily processes. Allwyn UK’s Rebecca McCarthy reflected on the Camelot-to-Allwyn transition, describing how it reinforced resilience across multiple functions.

Transparency and auditing were also central themes. Andrew Jackson of Scientific Games underscored the importance of clear processes, citing the McDonald’s promotional games case as a cautionary example of oversight gaps. WLA auditor Hans Peter Østrem described auditors as “critical friends,” emphasizing that audits should drive improvement rather than serve as mere formalities.

A closing panel highlighted the inevitability of risk but stressed that trust can be maintained through collective vigilance and effective communication. Johan Wilskow of Zynk aptly noted, “Trust is built in millimeters and torn down in meters. Good crisis communication determines how far you fall.”

Overall, the seminar reinforced the critical role of collaboration, transparency, and preparedness in maintaining the integrity of lotteries. By sharing lessons and best practices, participants emphasized that operational resilience is not achieved in isolation but through coordinated efforts across operators, suppliers, and regulators—a unified approach that is vital to sustaining public confidence in an increasingly digital and interconnected industry.