The number of young adults playing traditional lotteries is declining and it may lead to lotteries having to update their games for a social media generation.
In a report filed by Reuters, statistics show a decline in young players and millennials, even though overall lottery sales rose in 2015. Further, only a third of Americans aged 18 to 29 said they played the lottery in the past year, compared with 61 percent for those aged 50 to 64, according to a 2016 Gallup survey.
According to Reuters, the rate of play for millennials has fallen 39 percent from surveys conducted in 2003 and 2007. All other age groups saw an increase in play.
“Most millennials don’t want to wait two days to see if they won the Powerball. They consume entertainment content just much faster than consumers did 20 years ago,” Charles McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery told the news service. “We’re not broke, we’re just at the inflection point where a failure to change will have a steep decline over time.”
Still, state lotteries are usually set up with laws designed to prevent compulsive gambling. Most states also ban online sales and credit card purchases, but several states are considering changes to appeal to younger players.
Virginia, for example, is now allowing lottery players to pay with debit cards, the report said. Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, New York state and Virginia allow some form of online sales, Reuters noted. Some states are also exploring adding prizes like concert tickets to their games.
“They want an experience, not just a prize,” said Rose Hudson, president of the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries told Reuters.
