How eCash can help European iLottery operators hit the jackpot with customers

Playing the lottery is no longer dependent on visiting your local supermarket and scribbling down your numbers. The long-term success of online play and continued growth of iLottery offerings in Europe has opened the chance to win to a much wider audience, while also giving dedicated players a broad range of benefits, from more channels to test their luck, to greater convenience and more.

While this presents significant opportunity for European iLottery operators, it also creates pressure – it has never been more important to offer a smooth and seamless online experience from the moment the player creates an account, through to purchasing tickets and playing games. Arguably most important is ensuring players can quickly and easily fund their online accounts.

Failure to deliver a variety of payment experiences that match customer expectations could see them play elsewhere. Among these payment options is online cash, or eCash – capable of helping operators reach more people and to deliver an experience that hits the jackpot. Read on to learn more, or check out our recent report for the full breakdown.

The way iLottery players pay is changing

Not all players pay the same way. This is a widely understood fact, and one that can define the success of a lottery offering. This is why iLotteries invariably provide a range of payment options.

This, however, shouldn’t stop at debit cards and credit cards. Of course, these methods are used by many within an operator’s player base. But it’s just as important to provide alternative payment methods such as digital wallets like Skrill and NETELLER, and online cash solutions, like paysafecard.

A recent ECB study found that cash is still the most frequently used means of payment at point of sale in Europe, and there are a number of reasons for this.

According to the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute, more than 13 million EU citizens are unbanked, accounting for around 4% of the total population. This leaves eCash as one of the only ways they can play the lottery online.

And there are many consumers who prefer the security of using cash to fund online purchases. Our recent Lost in Transaction research report found that 52% of consumers don't feel comfortable sharing their financial details online, while 68% prefer using payment methods that don't require them to share their financial details when paying. Online cash caters to those with security in mind.

Online cash is also used by many as a means of managing their online spend and budgeting – in fact, our research found that among people who have changed their payment habits as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, 60% are using eCash more often.

There are those, too, who still prefer heading to the local supermarket or convenience store to pick up their tickets. Offering eCash as an iLottery operator means you can bridge the gap between these traditionally offline players, and the future of online play.

How to introduce eCash to your iLottery offering

The right payments platform can enable your customers to pay using eCash. For the player, the process of making an online payment with cash could not be easier, and can be completed in three simple steps:

• Create an account and complete the ID checks required to use funds to purchase online lottery tickets and play games.
• Search for the nearest sales outlet using the store locator on the website or app and purchase a voucher using cash.
• Enter the username and password in the online lottery’s cashier page and transfer the balance from the voucher to their online account.

 

Once the funds have been transferred into the online lottery account, the player can purchase draw tickets and play instant win games just as they would if they had funded their account with any other payment method.

Speaking of other payment methods, it’s important to offer customers alternative options like digital wallets. After all, according to Paysafe’s 2023 All the Ways Players Pay research report, almost 30% of global online sports bettors prefer to use digital wallets such as Skrill and NETELLER to place wagers.

The benefits of online cash

The opportunity of online lotteries is not lost on operators across Europe, but the ability to reach new players by offering a variety of payment methods could be hugely important as they look to grow in the future.

Online cash will be key to this, and there are further benefits beyond helping operators reach a wider audience:

• Draw retail customers online for the first time and encourage them to engage with online-only products and games.
• Customers can pay quickly, simply and safely online – just like when paying with cash in the retail environment.
• No risk of chargebacks while benefiting from secure processing.
• It won’t cannibalise existing payment methods in the gateway.

 

There will always be players who prefer to play using cash. By catering to these players, iLottery operators can grow bigger, faster, and win big as a result.

To learn more about how alternative payment methods can help your iLottery offering thrive, read our full report: How lotteries can hit the jackpot with online cash & other alternative payment methods.