Lottery gaming and gambling are essentially the same thing at the moment. People pay money to take their chance, in the hope of winning big. However, not many people think of them as the same right now.

There will be many people out there who say they are not a gambler, but they play the lottery on a regular basis. That may all be about to change though, as the lottery gaming industry is seemingly moving on, taking big steps forward and moving more towards the gambling sector.

In the past, people have only been able to play on their local lottery, games that usually come around once a week, and offer a fun chance to change your life for a small stake. That is no longer the case though, the lottery industry has opened up to a worldwide audience, players are no longer limited and the choice on offer is as good as it has ever been.

For example, those looking to play online lottery in India can access a wide range of international draws, giving more options than ever before, opening up huge jackpot prizes, and giving pretty much daily gaming to anyone who wants it.

When you say it like that, the lottery gaming industry is sounding more and more like the online gambling industry. But will this have any effect on the gambling industry? Will we see players moving away from casino gaming in the hope of playing the lottery more often and giving themselves more chances of winning a big prize?

How lottery gaming can now compete with other gambling forms

The shift in the lottery gaming world is certainly going to improve its appeal. The first, and perhaps most important reason for this, is because regular play is now available. In the past, people have had one lottery open to them, which they have played every weekend.

However, after the game is done, they have to wait seven days before the next time they can get involved. In this time, people will either lose interest and not come back, or they will move onto other things, such as sports betting or casino gaming.

Now the lottery industry has a chance of keeping these players, letting them play lottery games as often as they like, and no risk losing them to other parts of the gambling industry. This won’t happen to every single player, as some will like the variety that comes with playing just one lottery, but if there are people out there who prefer lottery and want more, those customers should get that and leave everything else they do.

There is also the chance to attract brand new players, who come on board because of the bigger and better service. A look at the latest entertainment news will see that there are many kinds of options for those looking to try something new. A full lottery service, with games from all over the world on a daily basis, would try and tap into that market.

Will the gambling industry fight back?

If you see how competitive the players in the gambling industry are with each other, between the various casinos and sportsbooks we have, then it makes complete sense that they will fight back against lottery gaming.

This could lead to a variety of different things, and both casinos and sportsbooks could get involved. They may set up some kind of lottery style jackpot game themselves, we could see big chances to win on sports, more slot jackpot games, and other things.

The key if this happens is to offer something that feels like a lottery, with a very small stake and the chance to win a huge amount of money. This would give an option for those who like to do all different types of gambling. If lottery sites offer them just one option, but sportsbooks and casinos offer them multiple options, including something like a lottery, the latter has a chance of winning.

Sportsbooks and casinos won’t be able to offer prizes such as big Mega Millions jackpots, but if they can give the impression of a lottery game, with a big prize, then it may work.

The future of lottery gaming

However the fall out goes between lottery providers, casinos and sportsbooks, the fact is that when lottery gaming goes worldwide, the entire gambling industry is going to be better for it. If people want to play multiple lottery games per week, and chase the very biggest jackpots, then they can do that.

If sportsbooks and casinos want to try and create something to compete with that, then their service will be even better because of it. Therefore, the future, whichever path you take, will only likely be better than what we have at the moment.

There is one potential issue, which is that we need to ensure the smaller lotteries around the world still survive. These provide great help to local charities, and if the industry moves so much that these disappear then this will not be good overall.

People will chase the biggest jackpots and want to be involved in the biggest games, but at the same time, the smaller games will need support. Provided this comes, and these stay in play, the future of lottery gaming looks as though it is going to be in a very good place. 

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk.