Like a scene from an old fashioned spaghetti western, lottery monopolies are telling private lottery operators such as Lottoland that this town just “ain’t big enough for the both of us”. Whether it’s the likes of Camelot in the UK or Germany’s lottery trade body, they are not mincing their words when it comes to attacking lottery betting/secondary lottery companies. Beyond these verbal attacks, the incumbents’ arguments that they fund for grassroots sports groups and good causes are well known – and not without justification. However, rather than lobbying behind closed doors or making dramatic statements about competitors, monopolies should look at online operators’ actual market share. For example, in the UK Lottoland says “its Euromillions betting revenues are less than 0.1% of Camelot’s total turnover” (paywall). Looking ahead it is worth wondering if lottery is the new battleground between monopolies and private operators in the same way online sports betting was 10 years ago. Possibly, although lottery revenues dwarf those from betting, as governments are well aware of. However, there is no reason why there shouldn’t be room for both, after all it gives players more choice; and it is a big town.
iGAMINGBUSINESS – Lottery battleground, Sweden regulation, Bet on Trump, Insurance vs. gambling