Most individuals, when dwelling on the subject of lotteries and jackpots, will have thoughts of corner shop queues and paper tickets pop into their heads. Alongside cosy memories of lottery results shows are recollections filled to the brim with variety acts and frenzied globes of multicoloured balls, indeed to such a degree that it’s pretty difficult to name any real innovation having occurred in the lottery world during the last thirty years. Such thinking isn’t true though; new, innovative technology is present in the lottery world, but not in the traditional places one might imagine it dwelling.
The first, and most ground-shakingly important technology innovation to befall the lottery industry in the past twenty years has been that of online lotteries. All manner of providers have now, for over a decade, been providing browser-based lottery fun to the masses, and this new way of playing is proving very popular. At websites such as Coral, players pick their numbers for draws hailing from far across the world – draws they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to play – then simply sit back, relax, and wait for email alerts that herald the bounteous results! It’s quick, easy, fun and improves the game overall.
Up until now, the lottery sector has been a lumbering beast of an industry. Half public, half private, and subject to all manner of regulations, this is the reason why ‘tickets-and-balls’ draws have never really reinvented themselves. Now, however, with online companies offering lottery games that don’t pay out from the national lotteries themselves, but from insurance payouts based around the numbers drawn, a whole wealth of potential has been unleashed!
We could soon be seeing postcode lotteries bolstered by Google Maps or Streetview, where players can walk along their digital streets and compare their numbers with neighbourly avatars! A social approach has already been picked up by online lotteries, their website magazines conversing over the finer points of fast cars, massive winnings and priceless holidays, whilst company Facebook pages are lit up with deals, competitions and conversations between provider and customer. It’s an all-encompassing, exceedingly inclusive approach that strikes a chord with the ever-informed, interaction-craving customer of the now!
Technology does and will continue to have a place within the lottery – who knows what amazing new experiences could be hatched in the near future! Do you have any ideas for how the lottery could be made better? Let us know below!
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