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The Mississippi Lottery is making moves.
This week, the lottery announced it has extended its partnership with technology provider, IGT (NYSE: IGT), for another three years. The new contract builds on a partnership that started in 2019 when the Mississippi Lottery began.
Mississippi Lottery Corp. President Jeff Hewitt said in a press release:
“When launching the Mississippi Lottery in 2019, we relied on IGT’s expertise to guide us in driving player engagement across draw-based and instant ticket games, and in realizing our growth targets. After almost five very successful years, we continue working with IGT to enhance our operations and deliver quality entertainment to our players.”
Key takeaways
- IGT and the Mississippi Lottery are extending their contract for three years.
- IGT will develop a mobile app for the lottery.
- The lottery’s forthcoming mobile app could pave the way for iGaming.
Mississippi Lottery mobile app is in the works
The most significant part of the lottery-IGT contract extension is that IGT will develop a lottery mobile app. The Mississippi Lottery noted that customers will be able to use the app to:
- Look at winning numbers
- Check their tickets to see if they’re winners
- Create digital payslips
- Find lottery retailers
- Read up on the games the lottery offers
- Learn about responsible gaming
- Enter second-chance drawings
“Having a mobile app provides information on the go for Mississippi Lottery players,” Lottery Director of Communications Meg Annison told PlayUSA. “Apps are a regular part of life and a true convenience.”
Unfortunately, lottery customers won’t be able to purchase lottery tickets through the app because state law prohibits online lottery sales, Annison said.
Despite that, the app is a relatively big development in a state where lawmakers are hesitant to allow online gaming.
Mobile sports betting is legal in Mississippi but only when bettors are inside a retail sportsbook. Recent attempts to legalize statewide sports betting failed as legislators squabbled over specifics.
Online casinos are illegal in Mississippi, which means people in the state can play online table games and slots at land-based casinos.
In addition to a mobile app, IGT will provide a platform called “Sales Wizard” that will allow the lottery to view sales, inventory, equipment, and other data.
“The Sales Wizard tool will provide our sales representatives with real-time data as they work with each retailer to optimize and increase in-store sales,” Annison said.
Could an online lottery app move Mississippi a step closer to online casinos?
In states like Mississippi, opposition to online gaming is like a massive dam. There could be a reservoir of support for online casinos and sports betting behind the dam that’s never released for fear of what could happen to the riverbed downstream.
Those fears include an increase in problem gambling rates and negative revenue impacts on land-based casinos.
At the same time, online casinos have proven to give casinos millions of dollars in revenue each month. Here’s a snapshot of how much revenue US online casinos generated in April 2024:
- Pennsylvania: $212.2 million
- Michigan: $192.9 million
- New Jersey: $187.9 million
- Connecticut: $41.5 million
- West Virginia: $17.8 million
- Delaware: $4.4 million
- Total: $654.4 million
Based on average per-capita online casino revenue in the states where iGaming is legal, PlayUSA estimates that Mississippi online casinos could generate more than $50 million in revenue in a good month.
