US Lotteries Waning Interest Amongst Millennials

Home » Poker News » US Lotteries Waning Interest Amongst Millennials

Thursday, March 9th, 2017 | Written by Shane Larson

State lotteries in the United States and provincial lotteries in Canada bring in millions of dollars to help cover programs concerned with education, and social care. Over the years, governments have become reliant on these lottery funds, and need them in order to balance their budgets. Unfortunately, changes in demographics may be putting those funds in peril, as studies out of the U.S. and Canada reveal that Millennials are not as interested in playing the lottery as their parents and grandparents.

Millennials Not Interested in Lotteries

A Gallup survey conducted of Americans found that only 33 percent of young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 had bought a lottery ticket within the last 12 months. By comparison 61 percent of those aged 50 to 64 reportedly purchased lottery tickets during the same time period. The numbers mark a decline from the number of young people who were playing the lottery from 2003 to 2007, suggesting that the Millennial generation just isn’t as interested.

Numbers out of Canada show similar trends. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp recently shared that only 7 percent of people under the age of 35 play their lottery once per week, while by comparison, 45 percent of all Ontario residents play the lottery weekly. The province said that disinterest in the lottery among Millennials has led to a slump in lottery ticket sales, with revenues from 2014 to 2015 lower by $115 million compared to what they were from 2013 to 2014.

Reason for Decline?

There are a number of theories as to why Millennials are not so interested in the lottery. Some experts feel that today’s young people are more financially burdened than previous generations have been with student loans and a lack of high-paying job openings. Instead of seeing the lottery as a way to solve their financial problems, Millennials may look at the lottery as a waste of what funds they have available.

Another theory is that lottery tickets aren’t sold in places where Millennials tend to shop. In the United States, for instance, tickets are most often sold at gas stations and convenience stores, and with Millennials typically using cards to pay at the pump, there is little need for them to venture inside and see the tickets that are for sale.

Changes to How Tickets are Sold

Because of this, some states and provinces are experimenting with different ways to sell lottery tickets, with some considering moves to sell lottery tickets at grocery store checkout counters, and to big box stores that cater to younger people. There is also talk of instituting subscription box type services in some states and provinces. With this setup, people can sign up to purchase a lottery ticket every week, and thus be able to participate without first having to visit a store to buy a weekly ticket.

Online lottery ticket sales, may also be considered or have been implemented by many states to try and make lottery tickets easier for Millennials to buy. Ways in which they might then motivate Millenials to play the lottery could involve creating new type of instant-win skill-based game involving social gaming. As Paula Otto, executive director of the Virginia Lottery, said to Reuters recently:

“The next generation of lottery players grew up with technology and approach making purchases and playing games differently,” while Rose Hudson, president of the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries, explained that “they want an experience, not just a prize.”

Lotteries a “Life Stage” Game

Nevertheless, the big question remains, will innovations and making tickets more readily accessible encourage sales or is the whole concept of the lottery just generally unappealing to the Millennial generation? Commenting on the topic, Western Canada Lottery Corporation spokeswoman Andrea Marantz stated that the lottery is a “life stage” game, whose appeal mainly extended to those people of middle-aged or older.

“Part of that would be they have more discretionary income for entertainment purposes, but one thing that we’ve really found here is the most common thing we hear from our winners.. is they don’t have to worry about money at all. Maybe when you are young and just starting your professional life.. those money worries aren’t weighing quite as heavily.”