UK Lottery to Add Mobile Payment Function

British consumers will soon be able to buy lottery tickets using the popular mobile payment service, Pingit after Camelot (operator of the National Lottery) announced that consumers who have registered for Pingit will be able to purchase Lotto, Thunderball and EuroMillions lottery tickets through the app or by scanning a QR code.

According to Camelot, British consumers are increasingly choosing mobile devices to view their lottery options, with six out of every 10 visits to its website coming from mobile devices and tablets. Commenting on the announcement, Tim Copper, digital director, Camelot said,

“With faster payment and registration, Pingit will make it even easier for our players to enjoy the excitement of National Lottery games on the go, with the added security offered by Barclays.”

Arguably the first popular mobile payment service to launch in the UK, Pingit faces an uncertain future with the launch of the industry consortium backed Paym and the expected launches of Apple Pay and Zapp (another industry consortium backed service). However if the service can carve out a niche in new segments like the gambling industry, it could remain a viable alternative for certain use cases.

Overview by Tristan Hugo-Webb, Associate Director, Global Payments Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group

Read the full story here