The New Hampshire Lottery September 4 unveiled eight instant games online, with names such as Jackpot Cash, Wizard of All and Multiplier Max-Out. Two years ago the Granite State became the first state to sell Powerball tickets on a mobile app.
Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the Lottery, said in a statement, “We have long viewed ourselves as a player-centric lottery.” He added, “Our focus in everything we do is how best to make our products entertaining and accessible to our customers by creating a strong and positive play experience.
Launching iLottery is the critical next wave component in enhancing our players direct interaction with our games.”
The new games cost from 2 cents to $10 and are similar to ones sold in retail outlets, but with different payouts. Players are required to create an online account to play, in order to ensure they are not minors and that they are residents of New Hampshire. A few days after the games were unveiled the Lottery reported that more than 4,200 players had created accounts and deposited a total of $100,000 in their accounts.
New Hampshire became the sixth state to offer online lottery sales after legislation was approved a year ago. It is also the first northeaster state to offer online sales.
Lottery spokesman Maura McCann commented, “The iLottery platform gives us the ability to communicate with players and provide them with offers that drive them back to traditional retailers.” So far, most retailers remain hostile to online lottery sales, which they fear will take away from their own sales.
The Lottery chose NeoPollard Interactive to run its online operations, including providing the platform.
“We wanted to get it right and believe our choice of NeoPollard Interactive would best ensure a successful rollout and early adoption of the online lottery experience,” said McIntyre.
