The race to be the most newsworthy lottery courier in the US has been a close one throughout 2024.
As the industry makes big gains in expansion and new partnerships, one name that is popping up quite often is Jackpot.com.
Offering retail tickets for lottery draw games via online purchase in six different states, Jackpot.com has been creating headlines for much more than just growth into new territories.
The courier has broken through with notable media partnerships that have helped not only its business, but also the industry as a whole.
PlayiLottery had the chance to speak with Akshay Khanna, CEO of Jackpot.com, about his company, its recent moves, and what’s ahead for the courier.
Associated Press partnership a ‘game changer’
It’s been a good year of expansion for Jackpot.com, which is now live in six states, with recent additions of Arkansas and New Jersey.
However, the company delivered some eye-popping news in June when it announced a partnership with the Associated Press.
As part of the deal, Jackpot.com was named the AP’s official courier. It provides lottery results for the news source and makes lottery ticket purchasing links available from the AP in states where Jackpot.com is live.
Khanna says this game-changing partnership came about because the AP desired to cover major jackpots for the Mega Millions and Powerball:
“I do think it’s more than just a simple partnership announcement. I do believe that it’s a little bit of a game changer for the industry. I don’t need to explain to anyone in the media what an incredible reach the Associated Press has. It’s the oldest, largest wire carrier in the world. With the advent of increased billion-dollar jackpots, in the last couple of years, they’ve written more and more articles about the lottery. So, to be able to get our name out there under the banner of a wildly respected and very well-known media outlet, it’s a big deal.”
Days after the AP announcement, Jackpot.com also struck a media partnership with Global Gaming Data (GGD). This agreement allows customers to purchase lottery tickets through GGD’s widget.
Google advertising lends legitimacy to lottery courier industry
If the partnerships weren’t big enough, Jackpot.com and all other US couriers got some good news to open July.
Google announced that it would begin permitting ads from lottery couriers starting on July 15.
To Khanna, this news is just another step toward couriers earning the trust of the consumers and states:
“I would say each of these (news items) in isolation represents another building block in our path to really ingrained legitimacy as an industry. For an industry that is very, very nascent, to be able to put these building blocks together I think presents a real picture of how lottery couriers are, as a whole and hopefully us specifically, are creating the narrative for people that this is a very legitimate business.”
One aspect of the Google news and AP deal is that it can inform lottery players about options they may not be aware of.
Khanna says reaching new audiences and letting them know there is an alternative to playing the lottery is a major step toward the company’s growth:
“This is an alternative to the way in which people have historically shopped for lottery tickets. For the legions of millions and millions of people who have never previously bought lottery tickets because they don’t carry cash, they don’t go to corner stores, or they don’t like the inconvenience of having to leave their homes to purchase anything, to now be able to search on Google to now be able to read an Associated Press article and to see that labeling, that branding, I think it’s just building the legitimacy and the scale of the industry block by block.”
Expanding into more states remains goal for Jackpot.com
To keep the ball rolling, Jackpot.com is hoping that expansion into more states is on the horizon.
Despite the recent developments within the industry, there are still plenty of states that are heavily against couriers.
To Khanna, it’s just up to the industry and his company to earn that trust:
“I’ve never really wanted to take ‘never’ at face value. I think what most states generally mean when they say ‘never’ is it is not happening now. It’s more, ‘let us observe, let us see.’ Which I understand.”
Jackpot.com is operating in Arkansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Texas.
Currently, 21 different states have courier availability. However, some are active without consent from the state.
Khanna and Jackpot.com will not operate in states without clearance of some form from a lottery commission or legislators.
While he’d like to see states become open to couriers at a faster pace, he’d rather earn their trust as opposed to forcing the issue:
“There are states that are more willing to do what they’re doing, states that are more willing to have new and innovative options, particularly when they have evaluated and considered the safety and security of couriers. They’re recognizing the legitimacy of an industry, so they’re more willing to dive in and either create regulation or legislation, or at least some form of light touch oversight. Then there are other states that are a little bit slower to adopt innovation. It’s really not that different from humanity at large. There are people who are early adopters of technology. There are people who are fast followers. Then there are people who sort of get there in their own time.”
What’s on the horizon for Jackpot.com, couriers?
The focus of Jackpot.com is clear, but how quickly will we see some of these expansions?
One key to that is adding to the product offerings.
Though scratch tickets remain the primary source of sales for retail lotteries across the US, they are a limited option for couriers. Only two currently offer them in any form. They are Jackpocket and Lotto.com. However, even their options are limited in a few states while providing just high price points.
Khanna knows that getting into the scratch business is important for the industry’s growth. It appears that Jackpot.com may not be far off from joining the mix in that regard:
“All I can say on that is watch this space. I have a feeling that we might be talking about that in its entirety in a different article in the coming weeks.”
Khanna believes that focusing on sales of other products, such as bingo and Keno, will also be an important step for couriers further in the future:
“I think in the near future there will be focus on new products like scratch cards, new products, like potentially bingo, or Keno, or other gaming products that I think the demographic that buys lottery tickets would be interested in purchasing. That, to me, is the five-year timeline. The one-year timeline is really the emphasis on growing in existing states and driving forward in new states.”
Photo by vectorfusionart via Shutterstock
Graphic from Jackpot.com
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