Michigan lottery players are about to see their selection of online instant games expand significantly. The lottery has signed a deal with International Game Technology (IGT) to bring the latter’s content distribution platform and catalog of games to the Wolverine State.
IGT is one of the world’s largest business-to-business gambling software suppliers. Its slots and table games are available at most online casinos in Michigan and other states where iGaming is legal.
Omnichannel lottery solutions are another significant component of its global business. Currently, in the US, it supplies instant games to Kentucky, Georgia and – most recently – Rhode Island.
The Michigan Lottery has been offering online instant games since 2014. Until now, however, it has relied on suppliers other than IGT.
Jay Gendron is the Chief Operating Officer of the company’s Global Lottery division. In a press release, he said:
The integration of IGT’s advanced RGS will provide the Michigan Lottery and its players with an extensive library of premium iLottery content, diversifying the Lottery’s portfolio with well-known eInstants and omnichannel themes. As a leader in this space, the Michigan Lottery has built a robust iLottery offering from the ground up, and IGT is thrilled that we can contribute to its continued success through the launch of our games.
This is the summer’s second major content expansion for the Michigan online lottery. Last month, it rolled out an omnichannel selection of Pac-Man-themed games from longstanding partner Pollard Banknote, comprising a scratch ticket, a pull-tab product and an online instant game.
What IGT Games are Coming to Michigan?
The announcement doesn’t contain specific detail about which games will be available in Michigan or when. However, with the deal in place, the launch should come swiftly.
We can look at other states and IGT’s website for clues about what games Michiganders might see. IGT lists the following as its most popular instant lottery titles at the moment:
- Wheel of Fortune Prize Burst
- Prize Potions
- Pots o’ Plenty Lucky Match
- Emoti Collect Vacation Riches
- Bank Buster Jackpot
- Hot Pepper Payout
Of these, Prize Potions, Pots o’ Plenty and Hot Pepper Payout are available in all three states IGT currently serves. It’s a good bet that those three will appear in Michigan shortly.
Michigan Casino Review Bank also found Bank Buster Jackpot and Emoti Collect Vacation riches on the Kentucky lottery site, while the other states had other games in the Emoti Collect series. Other IGT titles like Triple Platinum are likewise available, so this should be a major upgrade to the number of instant tickets available to play in Michigan.
With 163 games at the moment, Michigan already had the largest selection of any state. Perhaps competition from legal online casinos is driving it to expand its catalog further. These launched in January 2021 and already rival the more established markets in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Online Lottery Sales Continue to Grow in Michigan
If online casinos are hurting Michigan online lottery sales at all, it’s hard to see amidst other effects and against a background of strong organic growth. Year after year, the lottery keeps setting revenue records, and online instants constitute an important driver of that.
Just like online casinos, online instant ticket sales skyrocketed during the pandemic. Although lottery ticket retailers didn’t shut down for COVID-19 as retail casinos did, people were more reluctant to go out and buy paper tickets.
From 2019 to 2020, total Michigan Lottery revenue increased 9%, from $3.92 billion to $4.27 billion. Online instants make up only a small percentage of this, yet their contribution nearly doubled, from $116 million in 2019 to $219 million in 2020.
Overall sales fared better in the later stages of the pandemic, rising another 18% from 2020 to 2021. Conversely, growth for online instants was more modest than before, yet still positive, at 10%.
Here you can see the growth of both overall lottery revenue and the importance of the online lottery since its inception in 2014.
| Year | Total Lottery Revenue ($mm) | Instant Ticket Sales ($mm) | % of Total Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2627.0 | 0.6 | < 0.1% |
| 2015 | 2798.1 | 18.5 | 0.7% |
| 2016 | 3131.9 | 48.0 | 1.5% |
| 2017 | 3345.0 | 77.9 | 2.3% |
| 2018 | 3588.6 | 93.7 | 2.6% |
| 2019 | 3920.9 | 116.3 | 3.0% |
| 2020 | 4273.2 | 219.1 | 5.1% |
| 2021 | 5052.4 | 241.8 | 4.8% |
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