The Mississippi Lottery Corporation (MLC) has joined the wave of American state lottery companies launching an official app.
The lottery’s official app was launched this week, on Wednesday 19 November to be exact, billing it as an ‘easier, faster and more convenient’ way for its customers to engage with its products.
US lotteries are gradually becoming more and more digitised, with iLottery taking on increasing prominence across various states. As the Mississippi Lottery has noted, convenience is a big selling point to lottery customers.
“The launch of our first official app represents an exciting step forward for the Mississippi Lottery,” said MLC President Jeff Hewitt.
“Our players have asked for a simple, secure way to check tickets, view jackpots, and find information on the go, and this app delivers exactly that.”
Can apps threaten couriers?
Similar to other lottery apps, the Mississippi Lottery app allows players to scan tickets on their phone to check winning status, view current jackpots and winning numbers, find retailers, and access game information and odds for scratch-off and draw games.
The growing rise of iLottery services and official lottery apps in the US may change the dynamics of the country’s national lottery ecosystem in various ways.
There are currently 48 states with an official lottery, plus the District of Columbia. Lottery couriers have been playing an increasingly important role in this ecosystem, however.
Courier apps provide the convenience service to customers that the absence of official lottery apps didn’t. The apps enable customers to purchase a ticket from a retailer via a courier.
More and more states embracing official apps could, theoretically, affect the business models of these couriers, although the couriers themselves have expressed confidence that they and iLottery can coexist.
Also, whether or not official lottery apps can impact couriers would also depend on whether said apps allow ticket purchases – many of which do not, instead functioning more as an importation hub rather than a commerce one, as is the case with the Mississippi Lottery.