So, it’s been two weeks since The National Lottery formally changed hands as Allwyn officially replaced Camelot on the 1st February 2024, the first time the game has changed operator since its launch almost 30 years ago. Players will see gradual changes over the course of the next few years that aim to strengthen the bond between The National Lottery and consumers. New scratch cards, limits on purchasing, new draw-based games and innovative technology are among the main changes, all aiming to improve their relationship with players and increase returns to The National Lottery-funded projects.
Andria Vidler, Chief Executive of Allwyn UK, has set ambitious fundraising targets and aims to steadily improve all aspects of The National Lottery; “We want to create a proposition that’s engaging, attractive and fun and offers better value for money” (The Times) – all very exciting!
Allwyn is investing in a broader technology transformation programme to support the modernisation of The National Lottery, including the move to a new technology platform with Scientific Games. The move aims to enable a richer and more relevant experience for players, while also using data to support healthy play, reflecting Allwyn’s commitment to ensure The National Lottery sets the benchmark over the coming years.
Under Camelot, The National Lottery had limited options for players to pay for tickets and Instant Win Games in app and online. We believe that offering more payment options, as well as introducing new ways to play, gives players more choice and improves the user experience which will be vital to support the ambition of driving engagement up and keeping players coming back.
We have seen that introducing integrated SMS interactivity and payment technology, in various sectors, can provide an innovative yet simple and practical step towards improving a vital part of the user journey. Carrier billing, otherwise known as Pay By Mobile, would allow players to either simply text in to request their lottery ticket or use their mobile phone bill to add funds to their account by simply typing in their phone number in-app or online and adding charges to their phone bill.
Why do this? Well, we see across TV and radio broadcasters, charities and entertainment businesses that when you offer a text entry mechanic, it is incredibly effective in driving engagement. A simple call to action with a keyword and 5 digit-shortcode could work well to make buying a lottery ticket purchase more impromptu – it’s effortless and accessible as almost everyone has a mobile phone!
In fact, according to Statistica, 94% of adults own one and there are around 72 million mobile phones in the UK. With this number constantly growing, it is important to harness this opportunity to reach a wide customer base.
Allwyn has expressed one of their key aims is to introduce more players to The National Lottery; SMS and carrier billing can both be effective tools to offer consumers another choice and, in our experience, be value accretive as we don’t tend to see cannibalisation of other payment options.
Since Fonix interacts with over ⅓ of the UK population on an annual basis through its partners, it makes sense to consider this simple, secure and effective payment method for the National Lottery. It would create more players, more winners and ultimately more income.
Fonix has a proven track record of working with some of the biggest companies in media, charity and entertainment, supporting their growth in consumer engagement over the last decade. We look forward to seeing Allwyn’s progress as the operator for The National Lottery.
