The lottery’s digital transformation is entering its most important phase

For European lotteries, digital transformation has reached an important inflection point.

Based on our work with multiple large national lotteries and the findings from our newly launched 2026 Digital Lottery Report, the question is no longer whether lotteries need to become digital businesses, it is how effectively they can build the technology, products and customer experiences required to compete for consumer attention in an increasingly sophisticated digital entertainment market.

Our research shows why this distinction matters. Some lottery organisations are already generating up to 80% of their revenues online, while mobile can account for up to 90% of online revenue. At the same time, lotteries are broadening their propositions beyond draw games into instant games, betting, casino and other forms of digital entertainment.

This should change how we think about the sector.

The next generation of lottery growth will not come simply from putting existing products online. It will come from creating digital businesses capable of competing for attention, engagement and share of wallet while preserving the trust, responsibility and social purpose that have traditionally differentiated lotteries.

The financial evidence suggests that transition is well underway. The average online share of revenues or sales among the European lotteries analysed was 39%, while the Nordic leaders were already recording online share of between 60% to 80%. Our report also found the comparable sample’s online gross revenue grew by an average of 8% in 2025.

Digitisation alone is not a strategy

Some European lottery brands already possess many digital advantages such as high levels of recognition and trust, established customer bases and, in many markets, a clear social purpose.

Our visibility analysis also shows that these strengths translate online. Leading lotteries can compete directly with major private operators when trusted brands are combined with strong digital experiences, mobile-first products and sustained investment.

Mobile is perhaps the clearest dividing line between simply being online and becoming genuinely digital. Leading operators increasingly treat mobile as a strategic business platform rather than another distribution channel. The strongest lottery apps are already demonstrating that their experience can compete with the wider gaming market.

The next evolution goes further still

Across Europe, lottery is beginning to resemble a digital entertainment ecosystem. In our sample, every operator offered lottery draw games online, 88% offered instant or scratch games, 76% offered fixed-odds betting and live betting, while more than half offered casino and live casino products.

This does not mean every lottery should become everything to everyone. Regulation determines what is possible in each market. More importantly, digital growth should strengthen rather than dilute the lottery model. And when it comes to safer gambling, digital accounts and data enable operators to identify potentially risky patterns earlier and provide more relevant player support, provided strong safeguards accompany that capability.

Nor is product volume itself the answer. Our analysis shows lotteries increasingly building sophisticated content ecosystems, but the emerging competitive advantage is relevance, not abundance. With thousands of games potentially available, effective curation, personalisation and merchandising increasingly determine what players discover and engage with. This points to the real challenge ahead.

The winners of the next phase will not necessarily be the lotteries with the most products. They will be those that can connect platform, mobile experience, content, data and player engagement into one coherent digital experience, while maintaining the trust and responsibility on which the lottery model has been built.

For technology businesses such as EveryMatrix, that is where the opportunity to contribute lies. Our experience spans both lottery and highly competitive online gaming markets, giving us a view of the digital capabilities and customer expectations against which lotteries are increasingly being benchmarked.

The digital gap is narrowing. The bigger question now is who will turn that progress into sustainable growth. Lottery’s future is no longer about taking the ticket to the touchscreen. It is about what happens after it gets there.

Find out more: Sign up and download the EveryMatrix Digital Lottery Report today!

Nikolina Gabelica is managing director of lottery at EveryMatrix. The lottery division develops digital-first technology, features and functionality for the global lottery industry.

Gabelica has considerable experience in the sector having spent more than 20 years in a variety of senior roles at the Croatian Lottery, Hrvatska Lutrija, including as head of igaming; deputy director, lottery games online and betting; and director of business development and marketing. She was also the executive chair of Working Group for Marketing and Communications for the European Lotteries.