As a generation that has grown up surrounded by technology and accustomed to the instant gratification of online games and social media, millennials have little interest in driving to the local gas station to play the lottery, compared to previous generations. In the interest of identifying future growth, a growing number of lottery operators are trying to recast their business model to attract younger players, whether it’s in the form of transforming the play into an experience or enabling users to purchase tickets online and pay with a credit or debit card, in the states where it is not commonplace due to state laws. A new lottery messenger service that allows subscribers to legally order and manage state lotto tickets online, LottoGopher Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: LTTGF) (CSE: LOTO) (FRA: 2LG) hopes to successfully attract a larger millennial customer base with its unique approach that transforms the lottery buying experience into an interactive and more engaging process.
Even if overall lottery ticket sales continued to grow, rising 9 percent in 2016, the $80 billion industry is at risk if it doesn’t succeed to expand its customer base soon. A Gallup survey quoted by Reuters found that the number of young Americans playing the lottery has been declining steadily in the last decade (http://dtn.fm/5jIiU). In 2016, only one third of U.S. citizens aged 18 to 29 bought lottery tickets, compared to 39 percent in 2007. For comparison, people aged 50 to 64 played the lottery in larger numbers, with 61 percent of this group buying tickets last year, the report said.
There are several explanations for the gap, including millennials’ higher aversion to risk, as well as the fact that they are looking for different challenges and experiences that are more interactive, require a certain amount of skill and offer almost instant gratification. Most millennials don’t have the patience to wait for several days to find out if they won the lottery, as they consume entertainment content at a much faster rate than previous generations, a New Hampshire Lottery official explained, quoted by the same Reuters report.
But with laws regulating online lottery ticket sales, many lotto operators are struggling to come up with innovative ways of making their services more attractive for the younger public. This is where LottoGopher Holdings has hit the jackpot. With plans to move into 23 of 42 lottery states, the new lottery messenger service currently operates in California and is in full compliance with state and federal gaming laws.
Self-described as the first social lottery website, LottoGopher aims to radically transform the lottery buying experience by enabling users to securely order and manage their state lotto tickets exclusively online. Members pay a monthly subscription fee, similar to any film streaming service, and gain access to a platform that includes alerts, news and playing strategies, and more. Users are then able to buy tickets through the service, paying the same rates as in any brick-and-mortar store, and are given the possibility to either play individual tickets or join online groups to pool, paying with their credit or debit card. The LottoGopher platform is also mobile friendly and highly intuitive, making it very easy for users to purchase tickets for California’s SuperLotto Plus or two of North America’s most famous lotteries – Powerball or Mega Millions.
The service is already gaining traction in California, which has a $6.3 billion lottery market. LottoGopher is planning to disrupt the lottery industry by exporting its model to other states, with the goal of scoring $50 million in sales and increasing its number of subscribers to at least half a million by 2020.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LottoGopher.com
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