18 PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 Listening to what consumers want is essential to the industry’s growth and sustainability, something Brightstar Lottery has long recognized. A new multi-country study, conducted by the company with research partner Foresight Factory, explores how consumers − both lottery players and the general public − are engaging with retail technologies, with a particular focus on payment ecosystems. “Consumers don’t think about topics like payment in isolation,” says Michelle Carney, Brightstar Vice President Global Lottery Marketing. “How people pay is now part of the experience itself. The choices they make are more about convenience, trust, and the seamlessness of that overall experience. “Outside of our industry, payment options have transformed the way consumers purchase goods and services,” she continues. “We invest in studying topics like payment methods – with non-players as well as players – not only to understand what consumers are doing today, but also where they’re headed, so we can develop strategies to support lotteries seeking regulatory changes to accept cashless payments, and develop product roadmaps that are attuned to those preferences.” In recent years, for example, research-based insights have informed the design of Brightstar self-service machines and retail terminals to help lotteries engage new audiences, including non-players and consumers who may not carry cash. The company also regularly shares research, such as the current study, to help lotteries shape their own future plans. Notes Carney, “The findings from this research could inform broader regulatory and stakeholder conversations, such as those happening within state governments, to provide context on payment trends.” Brightstar initiated and steered the study, fielded during the first quarter of 2025, identifying the topics and questions most relevant to lottery’s evolution—from cashless payments and mobile promotions to emerging retail formats. “Foresight Factory brought their expertise in defining the larger trends, and we brought the strategic lens to align the research with the realities and possibilities of the lottery business,” says Gerard Caro, Brightstar Senior Director Market Research. Topics covered by the study include: • Current and future payment methods • The use of in-store technologies • Omnichannel shopping behaviors • Interest in online lottery and courier services • Openness to AI and automation tools. “What really stands out is how interested weekly lottery players are in new payment and tech offerings,” observes Caro. “We found that regular players demonstrate a high level of understanding about budding technologies (see graph). This challenges some conventional beliefs and could point to who the players of the future will be.” The findings are presented as a downloadable, two-part whitepaper, “Pay, Play, Progress: Changes in Payment and Retail Preferences for Lottery.” The research also taps into Foresight Factory’s specialty in forecasting to produce two forward-looking prediction models about the future of lottery engagement, to help the industry look beyond current attitudes and behaviors. New Research: Pay, Play, Progress A major study with both lottery players and general consumers reveals opportunities for lotteries to evolve their payment and retail technologies.
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