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Gardening Is The Best Medicine For The Mind
January is the time of year when, for us gardeners, a small ray of hope breaks through the grey skies. Not long now, I think, until I can start chitting my potatoes. A few early daffodils have bravely poked their necks above the soil. I know the snowdrops will soon be on their way. Especially with the mild, wet winter we have had, spring seems just around the corner. But I know the truth. The inevitable will happen: the cold will return, February always feels long, and winter will hang around like some kind of chronic illness.
For those of us who suffer from mental health problems, winter can be a difficult time. I had my own nervous breakdown last year. This culminated in me unable to do my job – I had to take a month off work and was confined, for long periods of anxious black time, to my house. Anyone who has gone to battle with their own inner demons knows it is a terrifying fight. You feel isolated, confused, angry, and unable to make yourself understood (especially to yourself). With the help of therapy, medication, pages of self-help books, and the desire to feel “normal” again, I started on my long path to recovery. While it has been a difficult journey, nothing has lifted my spirits more, or has made me feel saner, than my garden. Working with my hands in the soil, sowing seeds, or simply cutting my grass has improved my mental health more than I can express. Though it may sound cliched, my garden has been my sanctuary.
Therefore for me, this winter has been particularly rough. As the days have darkened my mental state has also become bleaker. There have been some reports lately about how beneficial gardening is for mental health. Gardening combines some of the best advice given to people with mental health problems: exercise more, interact with nature, engage in activities you find meaningful, be creative, and seek out people who have similar interests. In short, gardening ticks numerous boxes when it comes to improving the outcomes for those of us who struggle psychologically.
I can’t agree more with those studies which suggest that gardening lifts the mood and decreases anxiety. Last year I chose a particularly good time to have a shattered mind (as if there is ever really any right time to lose your mind). It was spring. The air was just beginning to warm up as the days stretched out their long amber arms. I remember sitting on an old and splinted wooden bench in the back garden. The buds on a nearby field maple tree were ready to burst into leaf. That’s when I saw it: the first bumblebee of spring. It wasn’t an epiphany, but it made me smile. And I hadn’t done that in a long time.
While I was off work, I threw myself into my garden. I felt like the world around me was a dangerous sea and my garden was a little green life raft. I cut a new, long bed out of the grass. I worked the soil until I couldn’t find a sliver of weed root. I barrelled tons of compost and poured it all over the garden to improve the structure of the heavy clay. I sowed seeds, bought more herbaceous perennials than I could afford, and scarified the grass like a man possessed. As I worked on the garden the garden worked on me. I could feel myself, for the first time in a long time, start to relax. As the days lengthened I could feel something inside me begin to lift – literally and metaphorically the clouds were breaking and more sun was touching the ground. I remember planting out pots of sweet peas to climb up a homemade wigwam. Nearby, my apple trees were in bloom. I was wearing a short sleeved shirt and my arms were warm in the sun. I knew then why I loved to garden and that, as long as I had access to a small patch of green, I would be okay.
Yes, I am on medication which is meant to control both anxiety and depression. I have also had many sessions of therapy. Both of these things I have found invaluable to my recuperation. And no, I would never suggest that someone replaces a good doctor with a tray full of seedlings. However, there is definitely something in nature that heals the mind. Not only has gardening helped me to get through a difficult period in my life, it is something I can enjoy when life is good. What I find so wonderful about gardening is that it is both beneficial to my health and enjoyable. This seems like rare thing in life. For example, everyone wants an athlete’s body but few people want to spend five days a week in the gym. Gardening, on the other hand, is both salubrious and gratifying.
I can’t wait to properly get back out and into the garden. I can’t for the grass to dry out and the soil to become workable. I can’t wait to get my tools out of the garage and my pruning shears in my pocket. I can’t wait, because I know that the best medicine for what ails me, is right outside my back door.
Tom Smart is a secondary school teacher who found his passion for gardening in the drizzle and mists of Scotland.
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JURASSIC WORLD Omnichannel Games Thrill U.S. Players as Scientific Games Readies for Linked Game Winners’ Event

URASSIC WORLD-Inspired Scratch Games Are Roaring this Summer, Digital Games Launching
Scientific Games announces that its exclusive, new JURASSIC WORLD-themed lottery games are roaring with success across the U.S. this summer. Created as part of a multi-year collaboration with Universal Products & Experiences, the blockbuster instant scratch games are delivering powerful results, with sales up to 161% higher than other games at the same price point in the market. The company created an omnichannel suite of JURASSIC-themed products to meet players where they play, including scratch, Fast Play, draw-based, Keno, digital second-chance and eInstant games.
The successful launches are setting the stage for the company’s JURASSIC WORLD-themed Linked Game winners’ event next year. The event will bring together lottery winners from across the U.S. for a once-in-a-lifetime, brand-immersive experience in Hawaii—where the original JURASSIC PARK was filmed—complete with white-glove services and opportunities to win additional cash prizes. Linked Game entry is through Scientific Games’ digital second-chance drawing program.
Sixteen of 20 state lotteries participating in the Linked Game have already launched JURASSIC PARK and JURASSIC WORLD scratch and Fast Play games at the $5 or $10 price points, with four more launches coming soon. JURASSIC-themed eInstant games have recently launched.
Scott Warner, Product Manager for the South Carolina Education Lottery, said: “The JURASSIC PARK franchise is one of the most recognizable and beloved brands in the world. It has had a special place in pop culture for decades. There is a great blend of adventure and nostalgia, plus the excitement of the $1,000,000 JACKPOT CHALLENGE. The fact that the promotion aligned with the release of the newest movie was perfect and made JURASSIC PARK an ideal fit for our scratch-off portfolio. The launch has been very strong, with six-week sales the second highest of any game over the past year. We’re really excited to send players to Hawaii! The trip experience will be incredible and the extra opportunities to win up to $1,000,000 will be thrilling for players.”
In July, JURASSIC WORLD Rebirth opened in movie theatres nationwide. From Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, the JURASSIC WORLD franchise immerses audiences of all ages in a new era of wonder and thrills where dinosaurs and humankind must learn to coexist.
Joshua Johnston, Director of Washington’s Lottery, said, “The JURASSIC franchise has thrilled generations, and bringing that excitement to our players through a themed scratch ticket felt like a perfect fit. From the recognizable artwork to the thrill of uncovering big prizes, our players embraced the game right away. It’s always exciting to tap into fan-favorites that fuel a sense of fun and nostalgia. We’re always looking for new ways to create memorable experiences for our players, and the JURASSIC-themed game delivers just that. With the chance to win up to $1 million – plus a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hawaii up for grabs, where the original film was shot – the game offers an incredible layer of excitement to an already engaging experience.”
In addition to appealing heavily to core instant game lottery players, a recent study showed that three of the five non-core instant game player segments placed JURASSIC PARK in the “Keeper” brand quadrant based on the brands breadth of appeal and intensity of liking. Overall, licensed brands have been shown to successfully attract new, non-core players. Recent Scientific Games loyalty program data showed that licensed branded games are 63% more likely to lead to loyalty club registrations than non-licensed branded games.
Robert Tharp, Senior Director of Products and Analytics, Brightstar Indiana on behalf of the Hoosier Lottery, said, “JURASSIC PARK is a new licensed property in the lottery world, so we saw it as a chance to bring a game to players with a theme they had not seen before. We have had success with nostalgic properties in the past and saw the opportunity to once again bring that feeling of nostalgia to players with JURASSIC PARK. The ticket art is very unique and eye-catching. We also felt the Linked Game event in Hawaii was something that would be attractive to players as a second chance…who doesn’t want to win a trip to Hawaii!”
Scientific Games created the first instant Linked Game in 2007 and has continued to lead the industry, working with the most recognizable brands in the world to innovate omnichannel lottery experiences and large-scale, once-in-a-lifetime winners’ experiences.
Tina Hoover, VP Licensing for Scientific Games, said, “We could not be more excited that the JURASSIC WORLD-themed games are delivering thrilling experiences for players across the U.S. and that the larger-than-life sales performance of these iconic games is generating more funding for lottery beneficiary programs.”
Scientific Games provides retail and digital games, technologies, analytics and services to 150 lotteries in 50 countries. The company offers the largest portfolio of licensed brands in the lottery industry with more than 100 properties for retail and digital games. In fiscal year 2025, licensed branded games created by Scientific Games for U.S. lotteries represented over USD $3.5B in retail and digital sales.
© Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Universal is not a sponsor or administrator of this Promotion.
© 2025 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The post JURASSIC WORLD Omnichannel Games Thrill U.S. Players as Scientific Games Readies for Linked Game Winners’ Event appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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TWO NEW WORLDS WERE UNVEILED AT ZITRO EXPERIENCE MEXICO 2024
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Lotteries & Native American Casinos in the United States, 2024-2029: Competitive Analysis, Industry Segmentation, Financial Benchmarks
The “Lotteries & Native American Casinos in the US – Industry Market Research Report” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
Over the last few years, industry revenue grew at a CAGR of 5.5% to $198.9 billion, including an expected 3.3% rise in 2024.
In periods of economic growth, lotteries and Native American casinos benefit from low unemployment levels, which drive growth in per capita disposable income. In contrast, recessionary periods cause the majority of consumers to opt against gambling in favor of reducing discretionary spending.
Market Trends
- Pent-up demand propelled industry recovery. Consumers who had cut back on discretionary spending during the pandemic helped boost industry growth.
- Strong consumer demand for traditional lotteries has offset larger pandemic losses. Consumers’ propensity toward simple lottery games sustains the product segment.
- Large population centers are a boon for the industry. In regions with larger population concentration, industry establishments benefit from wider exposure and increased contact with a diverse range of customers.
- A continuous push for high-quality customer service encourages competition. Since many of the gambling and lottery facility operators are small and localized, good customer service ensures a competitive edge and makes the facility more attractive to customers.
Report Coverage
- Market estimates from2014-2029
- Competitive analysis, industry segmentation, financial benchmarks
- Incorporates SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces and risk management frameworks
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- The Florida Lottery
- New York State Lottery
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