Jackpocket, best known as a lottery app, has officially pushed its chips onto the iGaming table by opening an online casino in New Jersey, becoming the first U.S.-based lottery platform to enter America’s iGaming market. The company announced on Jan. 31 the opening of its online casino in New Jersey, in partnership with Caesars Interactive Gaming.
Mordor Intelligence has estimated that America’s iGaming market would be worth $5.1 billion in 2024, with groups like Jackpocket wanting to branch out from its core offering into iGaming.
For the lottery product, customers may use the Jackpocket app to buy lottery tickets and state lottery products. The new app, Jackpocket Casino, will include popular casino offerings such as blackjack, roulette, baccarat, poker, and slots, powered by platform partner White Hat Gaming.
“This launch immediately expands Jackpocket’s entertainment offerings in New Jersey and will do the same for fans in other markets in the future,” said Jackpocket CEO Peter Sullivan. “As the iGaming space continues to grow, we’re excited to provide our engaged lottery user base with an easy and fun way to get involved in games we know they already love.”
On the integration front, Jackpocket users will not need to register a new account or go through the verification process again. If a customer has a Jackpocket Lottery account, they’ll also have a Jackpocket Casino one.
Product offering and fair play
A keen player may wonder, will Jackpocket’s new online casino give the player a fair chance at winning money?
The question is suitable for savvy customers because there were times when gray market online casinos had edges that heavily favored the operator, not the player. Some will argue that online casinos that operate in the gray market do so with heavy edges. Most people point the finger at “rigged crypto casinos,” which usually don’t offer games with Provably Fair technology.
Thus, customers may still worry about fairness even when companies like Jackpocket operate in the white. Jackpocket casino will be the first iGaming operator in America to receive iCAP certification for best practices in player protection, according to its press release. The platform’s certification is backed by the National Council on Problem Gambling.
What industry investors like about this technology is not only will the games be safe and legitimate, but there will be safeguards put into place to help problem gamblers or those with potential to encounter difficulties. Whether this safeguard technology work as well as intended, the jury is out. Researchers like Mark van der Maas and Lia Nower will argue that although these responsible gaming policies are promoted, the player can misunderstand them, leading to problem gambling.
A quick background on Jackpocket
In 2019, Jackpocket became the first registered lottery courier service in the U.S. when it launched in New Jersey, which was the first state to authorize lottery courier services formally. Jackpocket now offers lottery services in 18 states nationwide, including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Texas.
Jackpocket has forged partnership with the New York Jets, New York Mets, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Texas Rangers, and Boston Red Sox, amongst others, to promote its product.
Jackpocket has also been nominated for several awards since its inception, the most notable nomination being Digital Operator of The Year at Global Gaming Awards 2023. Its investors portfolio includes former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban, Anchor Capital, Left Lane Capital, and Circle K.
“Users in New Jersey will be able to smoothly download the new casino app from within our lottery app and then seamlessly register their accounts utilizing a unique and innovative way,” said Jackpocket CEO Peter Sullivan. “Early testing data suggests this is going to be a major disruption in the igaming world. I’m so proud of our amazing team who continues to push the boundaries of what is possible. Without great people a company is simply a logo. Cheers to them and cheers to finally giving a lottery a conversation within the casino world.”
While not nearly as quickly as legal sports betting in the U.S., iGaming legalization has expanded beyond New Jersey to six other states at present, plus Ontario, Canada. Those states are Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Entry may be more challenging in these jurisidictions, where there are fewer licenses available to operate than in New Jersey.
But for now, Jackpocket has entered another frontier, and they’re feeling lucky.
