Lotto Interactive Launches Star Match for State Lotto
Are you ready to play the lottery on your smartphone?
Lotto Interactive has released one of its first mobile games in the state of Georgia. Star Match is a gem-matching game puzzle where players wage $2 per play for a chance to win up to $10,000 in real money. This new mobile lotto game will remind you of gem-matching game favorites such as Candy Crush and Bejeweled.
Star Match was launched in mid-September on iOS, Android, and other desktop computers. Lotto Interactive aims to entice smartphone games who don’t really see the value in playing traditional scratch-and-match lotto games. It’s apparent that Star Match signals a new era in the lottery scene.
Star Match Ushers a New Age in Lottery
Lotto Interactive CEO, Brian Ward, says that the mobile gamer spends almost $300 a year and they don’t win anything. They just win virtual prizes, but by playing Star Match “they have a chance to win real cash prices with some content that is as compelling as what they play today. We think they will spend more.
La Fleur’s 2016 World Lottery reports that global spending on lotteries is hitting the $300 billion mark. Deloitte Globe also estimates that mobile games are anticipated to generate $35 billion in 2016. This only shows that consumers are willing to shell out on online lotto games and mobile gambling.
What’s the Star Match Factor?
The North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries announced that state lotteries revenue has sustained their momentum rising from $19.41 billion in 2012 to $20.91 in 2015. A Gallup Poll in July also reported nearly half of Americans play the lottery, yet state lotteries are still trying to connect with millennials who’s a demographic that opt to play these games in a digital format.
So what’s the catch with Star Match? It plays like the usual gem-matching puzzle game, which clearing the rows of jewel increase your winning. The gameplay is very similar to Candy Crush, but you get paid with real money instead of virtual rewards. Players get 6 to 18 stars that reveal a dollar price, match 3 symbol to win the amount.
A handful of states are already offering digital scratch-and-match games but with no true video gameplay feature. Star Match has rolled out in Georgia. The trial version can only be played, but the full game is scheduled to be released in Michigan, Canada, and Europe.
What’s Next for Interactive Lottery?
Lotto Interactive’s Brian Ward left Electronics and Activision in 2012 to start his master plan of merging digital games with the lottery. Ward came across a state lottery senior executive and had an interesting conversation about digital lottery.
“She was telling me how the lottery needed to move into the digital age. They were still doing everything the old-fashioned way at the 7-Eleven, basically, selling paper tickets and (she said) that the lottery needed to offer a more interactive and entertaining product through digital channels to reengage younger players. … They were afraid of losing an entire generation of players.”
One issue that will likely to emerge here is that playing digital lottery is easier, and this won’t sit well with lottery operators that attract lower-income consumers. But for those who can afford and enjoy it, there are other game types in the works.
“The next step is integrating a bunch of social and engagement and retention mechanics,” he said. “From there it is an easy step into offering the national games Powerball and Mega Millions and more traditional lottery product you can purchase form the same app.”, Ward concluded.