Online Sales Result in Record Lottery Sales

The internet is driving up ticket sales across the world according to a recent report in the UK. Despite being a relatively new addition to the iGaming world, online lottery sites are gradually winning over players and that's created a renewed sense of interest in the game.

While other forms of betting have increased in popularity over the last decade, lottery sales in the UK, US and beyond have slipped in recent years. In fact, when comparing year-on- year sales for Powerball sales in the US between 2014 and 2015, the number of tickets sold dropped by 40% (to the first half of 2015).

 

 

Although partly attributable to the ongoing economic slump, the overall increase in iGaming activity (revenue is projected to increase from $41 billion in 2015 to $45 billion in 2016) would suggest that lotteries have become lost in the mix.

However, if the latest financial report by the UK's national lottery provider Camelot is any indication of things to come, then digital sales are set to grow in the coming years.

After reporting record revenue of £7.6 billion ($11.1 billion) between March 2014 and March 2015, Camelot revealed that digital sales were up by 53%.

Thanks to the advent of online lottery sites, more players are now purchasing tickets for lotteries of all shapes and sizes via their computers and Smartphones. Not only are these sites capable of offering instant transactions and recurring subscriptions, but they give players the ability to play lotteries from around the world.

 

 

For example, when a player purchases lottery tickets online from Lotto Booker, they have the ability to play the UK's national lottery, EuroMillions, MegaMillions and more. Regardless of where a player is located, these online lottery providers have essentially opened up the market and it's this variety that's piqued the interest of players.

Since the advent of online gaming, the one thing that players have often cited as their reason for anteing up is how easy it is to play a wide variety of games. In contrast, lotteries have traditionally been localized events, but since the advent of online lottery sites this dynamic has changed.

 

 

With lotteries now in line with other betting options, it is safe to assume that interest in the games will continue to grow in the coming years. In fact, beyond the rise in digital sales in the UK, the latest figures suggest that 18% of US lottery players are doing so via their digital devices. Moreover, 27% of US adults interested in playing lottery games would ante-up via their computer or Smartphone given the chance.

While it might be too early to hail online lotteries as the "next big thing" in the iGaming world, they have certainly shown themselves to be a growth area in the industry which could, in turn, result in more growth for the industry as a whole. Indeed, with lotteries traditionally the reserve of casual gamblers, the rise in online lotteries could bring more novices to the virtual world; novices who may then branch out into other areas of the iGaming industry.