How the lottery industry can drive more player engagement

When you play the lottery it drives the feeling of excitement and opportunity which inevitably keeps you coming back. That emotional rush of enjoyment and excitement plays a key role in how the lottery industry connects with players and keeps them engaged. Merging loyalty programs and lotteries is a great way to drive more player engagement. Giving your members extra opportunities to earn rewards along with chances to win is beneficial for both parties. Through gamification & promotions, on-the-go options, and player analytics, players will benefit from being able to play whenever and wherever they want to, and your brand will benefit from increased player engagement! 

Utilize Gamification & Promotions

Gamification and lottery go hand in hand. This partnership encourages customers to not only participate more frequently but to also make more purchases. When lottery companies implement gamification they are playing on many aspects of psychology that pushes competitiveness, reward seeking habits, and of course FOMO (fear of missing out). 

Providing both gamification and promotions will offer players even more chances to interact, thus continuing to drive engagement. Implementing promotions within your loyalty program will allow you to place these opportunities where gaps currently exist. For example, location-based promotions can notify players when they are close to a retail location where they can participate in their favorite lottery games, or perhaps newly launched games or scratchcards. When players visit these locations they can scan their tickets in the app and earn rewards through the loyalty program with each upload.

Loyalty programs are a great addition to the lottery industry because it can help open doors to new partnerships with local businesses who want to be a part of the evolving lottery industry. It’s also enticing to offer 2nd chance rewards. Being a program that gives players the chance to win rewards even without a winning ticket is an easy way to drive player engagement and loyalty.

Provide 'On The Go' Playing

The power of technology is allowing people to have everything they want at their fingertips, and that includes the option of playing the lottery. Having a mobile experience or app for your lottery loyalty program offers more flexibility, accessibility, and convenience. The lottery industry is only becoming more widespread and the quicker loyalty programs are able to track their player journey, the better they can market towards their target audience. Allowing them to play “on the go” will enable them to reach content quicker and in return drive engagement. Retail isn’t going anywhere when it comes to the lottery but that doesn’t mean that the digital side shouldn’t evolve. Integrating your program into your players’ day-to-day lives as much as possible will create more opportunities to build engaging player interactions and relationships.  

Implement Player Analytics & Reporting

Gathering player data and turning analytics into action can help boost player engagement where it matter most. Integrating player analytics dashboards & reporting into your lottery loyalty program provides more detailed insights into your members' habits and playing trends. A better understanding of what makes customers play and purchase (along with how, where, and when) in turn enables you to better market towards them. It’s easier than ever for programs to anticipate the wants and needs of their players thanks to the advancements in loyalty technology and data tools.

When lotteries take the time to get to know their players they are able to better integrate themselves into their lives and create a more exciting and long-lasting experience. Having a lottery loyalty program that is designed to track analytics will give you useable insights right from the beginning.

The future of the lottery will dive into the digital experience and create products and experiences that draw in new and returning players. The growth of the lottery industry needs to focus on the environment for the players but also the businesses. The lottery is a business that is always expanding and adapting to the world around us. When implementing a loyalty program it is important that it is approached with a long term plan to ensure that it is done responsibly to avoid a downfall in the future.