To date, iLottery is only authorised in 13 US states, yet players are spending more in online formats. IGT research found that 30 percent of Americans who play both offline and online have increased their spending. iLottery revenue figures in the US have surpassed those of Canada, Spain, Italy, Australia, the Czech Republic and Finland.
This trend demonstrates a significant opportunity for US lottery operators to expand their digital offerings and capitalise on the untapped potential of multi-channel players.
A unique opportunity for operators
Although the iLottery market in the US is still underdeveloped compared to other countries, there is an opportunity for lottery operators to offer a digitised player experience. According to IGT’s analysis, many lottery players are interested in expanding their online offerings. In turn, this will lay the groundwork for a shift towards playing on a lottery website or app when lotteries get regulated.
To digitise all aspects of the retail lottery chain, operators need to either expand their company structure or outsource to third-party developers. In particular, IGT offers a suite of Connected 바카라 features embedded in its OMNIA solution. With it, players can access the lottery’s mobile app to register, create and fill tickets.
A decade after the US Department of Justice gave the green light to iLottery, the US has seen a transformational improvement in user experience.
The annual turnover of iLottery in the US has reached $8bn
Moti Malul, CEO of iGaming platform provider NeoGames, told Lafleurs that the market has grown significantly over the past decade, with iLottery turnover in the US expected to reach between $7 billion and $8 billion in 2023. It was an outstanding achievement, considering that iLottery programmes are only regulated in states such as Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Dakota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Compared to total US retail lottery sales of over $90bn a year, iLottery’s share is already as high as 10 percent. Michigan’s iLottery programme, in particular, has been particularly successful, with more than $1bn donated to the state’s Education Fund since its launch in 2015. In Virginia, online lottery sales have already surpassed retail sales, accounting for more than half of the state’s total lottery turnover, so the opportunity to move online is enormous.
Challenges for lottery operators
US retailers have been somewhat reluctant to support iLottery as a product, believing online operators will cannibalise their product. Still, there is evidence that the relationship between online and land-based platforms can be successful, continues Malul. Michigan and Pennsylvania are prime examples of iLottery successfully working together with other iGaming verticals.
All states that have held iLottery have seen growth in retail sales on digital platforms, with retail sales increasing by up to 27 percent since the launch of iLottery.
Moreover, most states are growing faster than those that do not participate in iLottery.
Another critical factor is the contribution to state revenues from iLottery. According to Malul, iLottery generates significantly more revenue than other iGaming verticals, with four times the taxes on sports betting and gambling at a similar gross gaming revenue (GGR) level.
This article was first published in Russian on 30 May 2025.
