Allwyn: We want to get more young people playing the National Lottery

The National Lottery, once a staple of Saturday night television, is hoping to rejuvenate its ageing demographic with plans to draw in a younger crowd.

Andria Vidler, the chief executive of Allwyn, the company now responsible for running the Lottery, has said there is a need for change. The Lottery has “aged,” she said, adding that the typical player today is an affluent male in his mid-40s to 50s.

“Do I think we need a look in the mirror, warts and all and look at how to make the Lottery more engaging? Yes,” Vidler told This Is Money. “The Lottery hasn’t been upgraded since 2009, which was the beginning of Camelot’s third licence. Back then, it was pre-iPad, pre-Instagram – you probably used a Blackberry.”

Now she wants to focus on attracting a younger audience, one that is increasingly disengaged from traditional forms of entertainment.

One of Vidler’s plans is to improve the digital experience. “The app at the moment is clunky. We need to get the technical infrastructure to create new games to create that excitement,” she explained.

Central to this plan is the integration of artificial intelligence, which Vidler believes will transform the offer by providing personalised insights on how Lottery funds support causes relevant to each player.

“My daughters’ generation – in their 20s – is interested in social impact. It isn’t in the licence as our responsibility to communicate where money goes, but we would like to do more on that,” she said.

“We are investing in new point-of-sale technology with a digital screen to tell you what local projects have had Lottery grants. It’s because of AI we can do it.”

Vidler also believes new products, such as Christmas scratchcards that double as gift tags, could appeal to a younger demographic.

Allwyn, which won the National Lottery licence in March 2022 from Canadian-owned Camelot, has set a target of raising £38bn over the next decade — a goal that has raised some eyebrows, given Camelot’s £48bn raised over three decades. 

But Vidler said: “We can generate a lot if people play just a bit more without being excessive,” she said, adding that AI can identify people who play too much. Problem gambling on the National Lottery is not, she claims, a big issue, “but you have to be on it”.