“Sweep app” brings lottery results at the touch of a button
Gone are the days of running around to find a lottery ticket seller in a wayside stall to find out the winning numbers and getting the results.
All this hassle will be done away with for good as the Development Lotteries Board (DLB)’s new mobile sweep app provides an opportunity of checking the daily winning numbers as well as winning numbers in DLB ticket draws dating back to six months.
The DLB Sweep App launched recently for lottery buyers could be used to instantly check winning numbers of any development lottery draw or verify if the ticket purchased has any winnings or details of prize money by simply scanning the tickets QRcode with the mobile phone.
This move to introduce a mobile app is intended to attract young people and the elite as well as the upper middles class persons who show far less interest in buying lotteries than the underprivileged and the poorest of the poor segment of the society, DLB Chairman S . A . P. Suriyapperuma revealed.
According to a research conducted by the DLB, 18 per cent of the country’s population is frequently purchasing lotteries; he said adding that the aim of introducing DLB Sweep App was to attract the upper middle class and rich people who are reluctant to visit lottery selling booths.
The next development of this mobile sweep app will allow people to buy lottery tickets from their Smartphone. It also lets them scan a paper ticket purchased in- store to track it, and get notifications if they win, Mr. Suriyapperuma said.
DLB has already laid the groundwork to build the 21st century digital infrastructure to sell lottery tickets via mobile app —just like the way it has revolutionised the trade for the first time by introducing instant lottery for Sri Lankans in 1983, he added.
The next level of development of ‘sweep app’ has been delayed due to the time period taken to fulfil the Central Bank regulations including creating a wallet for DLB lottery collections, he disclosed.
“We will roll out our mobile app for Android phone (Smartphone) users and small message service (SMS) for owners of other mobile phones soon creating a digital platform to revitalise the currently stagnant local traditional lottery market,” Mr. Suriyapperuma told the Business Times.
Customers simply have to download the app on their mobile phone and get registered with the DLB to obtain this service, he said.
Sri Lanka‘s traditional lottery penetration is low compared to 30 to 35 per cent lottery buyers worldwide, he added.
According to available data, around 40 per cent of the country’s 14 million mobile subscribers are in possession of a smartphone, although Internet penetration stood at 29.3 per cent.
Therefore no trade can ignore the digital medium; he said adding that the DLB would be able to reach out to more customers via mobile phones.
By opening a mobile distribution channel, the costs for lottery operation would go down and the board will be able to sell lotteries round the clock, he said.
Referring to the DLB’s financial position, Mr. Suriyapperuma said: “DLB posted Rs. 12.96 billion turnover up to September this year compared to Rs.12.92 billion during the same period in 2018 with 104 per cent growth in sales up to August this year.”
DLB has contributed a sum of Rs.1767 million to the President's Fund up to August this year compared to Rs 2132 million in 2018.