How Can Blockchain Technology Benefit Lottery Businesses?

The global lottery system is estimated to grow at a CAGR of approximately 3.10% between the years 2022 and 2028. This is enough proof of the fact that the lottery industry generates high revenue globally. And there’s no stopping this growth. Or is there?

The popularity of lottery systems makes security, trust and efficiency, indispensable factors. But, considering that we are in an ongoing global technological evolution, it is becoming hard to maintain the same in traditional lottery systems. 

Blockchain technology is considered a means to eliminate the vulnerabilities of traditional lottery systems. With the help of the best lottery dApp development company, organizations can create high-security and transparent lottery systems. But, what else do blockchain-based lottery systems have that makes them a better choice? Is it worth making the shift? Let’s discuss. 

Traditional Lottery vs Blockchain Lottery Systems: Is the Shift Necessary?

A shift generally happens when problems with the former arise. In this case, traditional lottery systems come with a number of problems that don’t translate well for the developers, players or the host. This is what calls for a change. A change using Blockchain.

With the internet in the picture, lotteries have broken geological constraints. A player in Spain can participate in a lottery based in the US. But, this advancement and flexibility are what has led to multiple issues that hamper the reliability and transparency of a lottery system. 

Now, if we look at blockchain at an individual level, it is characterized as decentralized and safe. Incorporating these characteristics into a lottery system will be beneficial for all participants. Let’s dive deeper into the problems of traditional lottery systems and the change that blockchain technology can bring to this sector. 

Challenges of Traditional Lottery Systems

Lotteries have been around since the 15th century. But we are living in an age of technological boom. Updating the system and ridding it of its traditional aspects to welcome a progressive and advanced system is long overdue. But why? 

Well, there are a few challenges that the traditional lottery system has, which negatively impacts people’s participation.

Centralized System

The traditional lottery systems are centralized. In simple words, lotteries are under the complete control of one body or organizer. It leads to problems such as a lack of transparency. 

With one body controlling the operations of a lottery system, there is no guarantee of a fair draw or a timely payout. These factors translate to low reliability and ultimately less participation. 

Low Reliability

Traditional lottery systems are built on RNG or Random Number Generation algorithms to draw winning numbers randomly. RNG is a mathematical construct that uses certain formulas to balance the outcome between the participant and the host. Now, while these formulas are difficult to crack, advanced hackers can identify them and manipulate them to their advantage. It created a high risk of fraud which discourages participation. 

No Supervision

With no authority supervising or verifying the operations of the lottery systems, mistrust is created between the host and the players. There’s no one to ensure fair play or that the payout is done in time and in full amount. 

The lack of supervision or transparency is also apparent in the form of hidden costs and large fees. In some cases, the winners can have trouble collecting their prizes which are either put on hold or delivered after heavy cuts in the name of taxes and ‘fees’. 

Limited Access

Geographical locations restrict traditional lotteries. If we talk about national lotteries, access is limited to participants of a particular location only. This hinders the possibility for many players to join lotteries with some of the biggest jackpots.  

So, what’s the solution? 

Blockchain Technology

How Does Blockchain Improve Lottery Systems?

From gaming to education, blockchain technology is revolutionizing every sector of human civilization. Lottery systems are no different. 

The futuristic technology primarily helps in four aspects of a lottery- 

• Ticket ownership
• Participation 
• Prize Collection 
• Defining the winning number

Blockchain-based lottery systems are being researched and considered as having the potential to tackle all the problems we’ve already discussed. Here’s how- 

Decentralized System

The process of decentralized lottery system development involves the integration of a proprietary blockchain in the lottery system. Unlike the centralized operations of traditional systems, blockchain renders a decentralized operating system for lotteries. It simply means that instead of having a sole controller, the data will be shared among all the participants in the blockchain network of the lottery system. 

This is referred to as the distributed ledger. 

With every member having information such as that of the transactions and ticket distribution, it leaves no room for fraud or unfair play. All blockchain network members can consult the distributed ledger to verify any detail. 

High Security

Blockchain-based lottery systems are known to be ‘immune to fraud’. Here’s why-

The key feature of a blockchain is that it does not have a central controlling authority. The RNG Protocols in a blockchain lottery system are automated as per smart contracts. These contracts are made of conditions that equally apply to every network member. Once the conditions are met, the action corresponding to it is executed without the interference of any middleman. 

These contracts are immutable. So, no one, including the smart contract creator, can manipulate or change the operations. 

In addition to smart contracts, the consensus algorithm facilitates every transaction within the network. So, even a minute change has to reach a consensus among the distributed network in order to be finalized. 

Such tight security translates to trust and reliability.

More Reliability & Transparency 

With the feature of a public distributed ledger, the database within the blockchain is difficult to alter. The ledger also records every transaction which is then distributed and stored at every node within the network. This way, all participants have real-time visibility of the participation data.

Such exhaustive monitoring of data allows traceability of sales, which makes blockchain lottery systems transparent. 

Now, with so much transparency, many may question a player’s privacy. Well, despite a shared record of transactions, every record is anonymous so no one’s identity is disclosed. 

Blockchain is especially effective in conducting secure transactions. Since a major part of lotteries included transactions, the added security and efficiency of blockchain improves the overall experience. Lottery systems become more reliable as the time involved in collecting prizes is significantly reduced.

Unlike traditional systems, the advanced technology of blockchain speeds up the process of calculating prizes and taxes. As a result, winners can collect their winning amount in time. 

Tokenization of Lottery

Tangible lottery tickets pose the risk of loss. Blockchain technology solves this problem with the tokenization of tickets. 

Tokenization is basically the conversion of physical assets into digital assets. These tokens cannot be duplicated or altered however, you can transfer their ownership. The blockchain stores every initial ownership and transfer record as chained transactions. 

With lottery tickets turning into digital assets or tokens, the system becomes more secure for the participants. 

Borderless Lottery Systems

Geographical constraints become a thing of the past with blockchain lottery systems. By virtue of blockchain integration, lotteries will be able to operate via the internet. People can therefore participate from all around the globe. Since the technology is highly secure and immutable, online lotteries gain players’ trust.

Now, blockchain also adds the convenience of worldwide transactions in the form of cryptocurrencies. These transactions are peer-to-peer and do not need an intermediary like the bank. As a result, prize collection becomes easy, convenient and quick irrespective of the location of the sender and receiver. That’s not the only best part. With more players, the prize pool becomes larger with a scope of winning bigger prizes. 

Decentralized Lottery Business in 2022-2023

Fire Lotto

Launched in 2018, Fire Lotto is a decentralized lottery pool built on the Ethereum blockchain network. It is a global platform where players get to buy an infinite number of tickets. The platform offers multiple draws and instant win games. 

Fire Lotto has a licensed crypto exchange platform and allows players to buy tokens using crypto as well as fiat money. 

Quanta

Quanta is yet another blockchain lottery protocol. It is built using Ethereum-based smart contracts to automate and execute different lottery processes. It claims to offer its players some of the biggest prize pools. 

Quanta claims that, unlike most blockchain lottery platforms, they use 85% of the ticket sales in prize allocation. This could mean bigger prizes and higher chances of winning. 

Samsara Protocol

Another Ethereum-based lottery pool, the Samsara protocol offers a blockchain-based platform for random draws and plays. 

The platform is open to all private and public organizations to hold secure and transparent blockchain lotteries. From startups to charities, Samsara Protocol is open to all. The blockchain-based platform has a range of smart contracts and also offers to develop new ones based on requirements. 

Bitconia 

The Bitconia Lottery System is a decentralized lottery system built on Binance Smart Chain Network or (BSC). A user can create an account in the system and use the ‘user wallet address’ to buy tickets. Each user gets to select their ticket number which is then stored in the BSC. The platform allocated a maximum of 70% of the ticket sales to the prize fund formation, further divided into 4 wallets. 

Final Words

Blockchain technology has emerged as an innovative solution to many problems in the tech world. The lottery industry has been able to see the same. The decentralized network creates a reliable, secure and completely transparent lottery system for the players. This will ultimately increase the popularity of lotteries and revenue. 

Blockchain-based lottery systems are still emerging. While there are many that are up and running, there’s still a long way to go for the industry to embrace the technology completely. 

So, what do you think, can blockchain technology benefit lottery systems?