Your Daily Asia Gaming eBrief: Covid spurs trend to digital lottery

Monday 27th of June 2022

Good Morning. The Covid pandemic has accelerated a trend towards digital in the global lottery business and research is showing that the trend towards digital is likely to continue, as consumers have not abandoned habits they picked up during lockdowns. Today’s Deep Dive focuses on trends to watch out for in the one form of gambling that’s legal in nearly all Asian jurisdictions in some form.

What you need to know

Blackstone completed its $6.1 billion acquisition of Crown Resorts, saying it aims to rebuild the operator into an “iconic destination for travel.”
Macau kicks off a third round of mass testing of its population as the number of confirmed Covid cases rises to 261.
Malaysia is still considering regulating online gambling and estimates that it’s losing about $454 million a year in lost tax revenue.
The industry is keen to re-connect in-person next month in the Philippines, the only jurisdiction in Asia with regulated gaming for both online and landbased operations. ASEAN 2022 will be the first gaming conference in the region since the pandemic.

On the radar

Star Sydney denied request to boost machine numbers after probes.
Pronet Gaming accelerates expansion plans for Asia market entry.
Ainsworth CEO granted 2.8m performance rights.

AGB Intelligence

DEEP DIVE

Covid spurs digital lottery growth, further expansion seen

Rising internet penetration has been driving a move to online lotteries in jurisdictions where it is permitted and Covid has given this trend a further push, with research suggesting customers will stick with their digital adoption. “The Covid-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the need for lotteries to meet their players wherever they were,” says Jay Gendron, IGT’s chief operating officer, global lottery. “This shift quickly increased the demand for and interest in iLottery products and services. In jurisdictions that offer iLottery, IGT focused our efforts on the omnichannel experience as a major driver for these lotteries looking to gain and retain players and grow revenue,” he said.