The way players are purchasing lottery tickets is changing quickly. Players are embracing the ease and flexibility of being able to enter draws whenever they want, wherever they are, without having to walk to the local newsagent or drive to the nearest supermarket.
Following the trend outside of lottery, and in e-commerce in general, but this shift towards online and mobile play is slow for state lottery operators. For most, their technological infrastructure is built on decades-old technology, and unable to handle the experience savvy consumers have come to expect.
It seems almost like a cliché, but for us, a cloud platform, and more importantly a cloud philosophy, can clear these hurdles. Our Insight platform is built on these principles – more than just throwing all our old hardware into AWS, we have included cloud philosophy in everything we do, from the information architecture to the way we build our API’s. This all powers our secondary lottery platform and means we can offer our partners a robust and flexible product fit for purpose.
This makes us pioneers in our industry, with most suppliers and operators yet to fully embrace the philosophy. But ours is an industry that constantly straddles innovation and technological advancement, and as a company, we believe it is best to stay ahead of the curve rather than constantly playing catch-up.
For lotteries and operators making a move online, cloud solutions mean they don’t have to consider the expense of establishing new data centres or putting their current infrastructure under pressure with an increase in activity and volume. It becomes a no brainer, because our cloud philosophy also extends to our commercial model – we pass on the low risk and low entry barriers directly to our customers.
By using a cloud-based online lottery platform, operators can future-proof their technological infrastructure while at the same time reducing overheads and maintenance costs. It also allows them to offer a smooth and seamless experience to their players, who expect to be able to complete transactions in seconds.
This can prove challenging when it comes to huge multi-million dollar jackpots, which often see large numbers of players flocking to sites to purchase tickets ahead of the draw. Our platform uses the almost infinite scaling abilities, micro services (and platforms such as Docker) so that the cloud can take this sudden influx of activity in their stride, without compromising on the quality of experience enjoyed by the end user.
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When it comes to operating a successful online lottery product, consistency is key. Cloud solutions play a vital role in delivering this both from a supplier’s perspective to their operator partners and from an operator’s perspective to their players. They are not liable to the same technological hiccups and downtime – a major plus for all stakeholders.
From a platform supplier’s perspective, using cloud computing makes for a quick and efficient integration process with lottery partners. Deploying software updates is much quicker, meaning they are always using the most advanced platform to deliver the best possible experience to their players.
That is what a cloud philosophy is all about, using technology to provide a fast, reliable, solid, flexible, and help platform suppliers and online lottery operators improve the player experience while drastically reducing costs.
As online lottery continues to become more popular with players around the world, operators will have to embrace cloud-based solutions to handle the major uptick in traffic and to ensure their product offering continues to meet player expectations.
It also helps meet ever-changing regulatory requirements. Winners Group is licensed by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, and we have worked together with them to facilitate our transition into a cloud-based company. It makes us cutting edge, innovative, and a standard-setter in the industry.
But those that switch to cloud-based solutions now will see a big increase in performance which will help grow their share of wallet in the short term, while also putting them firmly in the driving seat to capitalise on market growth over the coming months and years.
Ours is a fast-moving industry, and cloud-based solutions are the only way to keep pace.
Phillip Wilson is the COO of Winners Group, and the architect of the world leading lottery platform Insight, with 15 years of creative, technical and business expertise within regulated industries. Phillip focuses on creating cutting edge experiences and delivering operational excellence.