Dan Engel, co-founder of the Pop-u-Lotto online lottery brand, which is scheduled to launch in Brazil in Q1 2016, has accused some of the world’s most famous lotteries of risking player alienation and  lottery fatigue through the creation of games which make winning into nothing more than a pipe dream.

Dan Engel, co-founder of the Pop-u-Lotto™ online lottery brand.

Reserving his ire for the UK’s National Lottery, operated by Camelot, Engel said: “Where’s the concept of ‘fair play’ that the British are renowned for when Camelot increase the number of balls from 49 to 59 and in one ‘foul’ swoop reduce the odds of winning the jackpot from 1 in 14 million to 1 in 45 million?

“There’s a huge risk that players will simply vote with their wallets and purses and find an alternative way to enjoy their leisure spend.  My fear is that initiatives by operators to boost profits is blinkered and may well be to the detriment of the entire lottery industry.   A cursory look at the internet forums quickly identifies disgruntled ex-players bemoaning the fact that it’s just too difficult to win what they refer to as ‘a normal lottery jackpot.’ When the changes were announced, the National Lottery’s official Facebook page was bombarded with complaints from players who insisted they had had enough. When you reduce the chances of winning you also extinguish the excitement.”