The Lottery remains the fifth largest source of revenue for the state of Delaware, contributing its profits to the State General Fund, that supports the majority of state services, including public and higher education, health and social services, public safety, judicial and corrections, child, youth and family services and natural resources and environmental control. The Lottery’s success and sustainability are crucial— but launching iLottery in a competitive environment requires more than launching a new product. It requires creating awareness, building trust, and delivering value that encourages players to engage over time. “Our geography added another layer of complexity. Most of our population is concentrated in northern Delaware, around Wilmington and the I-95 corridor. From there, our players are within 20 minutes of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland,” Rubas explains. “Each of those states offers its own gaming options. So we’re not just competing within Delaware—we’re also competing across neighboring state lines.” By positioning iLottery as an extension of an existing player relationship rather than a standalone digital product, Delaware entered the market with a clear strategic advantage. Growing Digital Without Leaving Retail Behind A common concern when lotteries introduce digital products is the potential impact on retail partners. Delaware’s rollout addressed that challenge directly. The program launched with eInstants and plans to introduce draw-based games such as Powerball and Mega Millions later in the year. At the same time, initiatives such as WebCash and a brick-and-mortar retailer affiliate program reinforced the connection between digital and retail channels. The Delaware Lottery, like many iLottery jurisdictions, launched WebCash to bridge retail and digital play, allowing players to purchase prepaid funds instore and redeem them online—an approach that both incentivizes retailer support and drives player engagement through frequent bonus-based deposit promotions. In parallel, the Lottery and Scientific Games launched an affiliate program at go-live as a deliberate extension of retailer inclusion, with affiliate-acquired users averaging roughly double the wagers of those from other acquisition channels. “We made retailer engagement a priority. At launch, we introduced incentives for retailers to help sign up new online players by offering either $50 per signup or 10% of a player’s net gaming revenue over their first two years,” says Rubas. This balanced approach sends a powerful message: digital growth and retail success do not have to compete with one another. When thoughtfully designed, they can work together to strengthen the overall lottery ecosystem.
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