Scientific Games Finalizes Momentum Upgrade for UK National Lottery
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Scientific Games has completed the largest technology conversion in global lottery history, fully transitioning Allwyn UK's National Lottery operations to its Momentum central gaming system on December 5, 2025. This overhaul, involving the migration of millions of transactions and 43,500 retailer records from a 2009-era platform, enables nationwide draw sales, enhanced retailer tools, and foundational support for future digital innovations. As the UK's lottery generates £8 billion annually—funding £30 million weekly to good causes—the upgrade positions Allwyn to double contributions to £60 million by the end of its 10-year license, while addressing legacy inefficiencies in a market facing rising digital demands.
Key Takeaways:
- Scale of Migration: Processed over 43,500 retailers and millions of daily transactions without service disruption, marking a benchmark for global lottery system overhauls.
- Operational Enhancements: Integrates WAVE terminals for faster sales and the Gem suite for claims management, boosting retailer efficiency by up to 20%.
- Growth Enabler: Lays groundwork for new games and omnichannel features, targeting 15% sales uplift through improved player experiences.
The Momentum ecosystem, anchored by Scientific Games' core lottery platform, replaces outdated infrastructure with modular applications tailored for high-volume operations. This includes Salesforce-integrated tools for licensing and analytics, ensuring seamless data flow across draw games, instant wins, and emerging formats. Allwyn, which assumed National Lottery duties in February 2024, invested £350 million in this transformation to restore operational agility and player trust eroded by prior technical issues.
Allwyn CEO Jonathan Hill underscored the milestone: "This upgrade delivers on our vision to restore the Lottery's magic, introducing exciting games and better experiences while amplifying impacts on communities." Early post-launch metrics indicate a 10% rise in transaction speeds at pilot retailers, with full rollout of 30,000 WAVE terminals commencing shortly after. The system supports Allwyn's regulatory commitments to the Gambling Commission, incorporating advanced fraud-detection and responsible gaming modules aligned with WLA standards.
Globally, this project exemplifies the shift toward resilient, scalable platforms amid iLottery's 25% CAGR. Scientific Games, serving 200+ lotteries, reported the conversion as a "pivotal" achievement, mirroring successes in North America where similar upgrades yielded 12% engagement gains. Challenges during migration—such as real-time data synchronization—were mitigated through phased testing, avoiding the downtime that plagued a 2023 European rollout.
For operators, Momentum's flexibility offers a blueprint: customizable APIs for third-party integrations and AI-driven insights to optimize prize structures. In the UK, where participation hovers at 47%, the enhancements target millennials via app-linked promotions, potentially reversing a 5% dip in youth play. As European lotteries like France's FDJ eye similar modernizations, Allwyn's success could accelerate adoption, with GLMS forecasting £100 billion in continental sales by 2030.
This completion not only fortifies the UK's lottery as a revenue engine—contributing £2.5 billion yearly to society—but also signals industry maturity. By prioritizing innovation over legacy constraints, Scientific Games and Allwyn model how technology sustains ethical growth, benefiting 30 million weekly players and the causes they champion.
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