The Most Valuable Players You’re Not Talking To

How the most effective lotteries treat anonymity.

By Brightstar Lottery

Published June 23, 2026

In today’s lottery apps, some of the most active players can also be the least visible. They open the app regularly. They check winning numbers. They browse games and promotions. Some return day after day. Yet from a traditional CRM perspective, they do not exist.

These are anonymous players. In many digital lottery environments, they represent a majority of the active audience. In some cases, as much as 60% of active app users are still unidentified. Despite their frequency and intent, most lottery engagement strategies simply wait them out, focusing resources almost entirely on known, registered players.

That approach quietly caps growth.

The Challenge: Most Digital Players Live Outside the Conversation

Anonymous players exhibit clear patterns of intent, evidenced by repeated visits, specific game exploration, and consistent engagement with content. Yet they have not provided an email address or opted into SMS.

Legacy lifecycle thinking makes this a challenge. With email opt‑in rates in many lottery environments typically hovering between 20% and 30%, lotteries that rely primarily on email and SMS are, by definition, communicating with only a fraction of their digital audience. Everyone else is invisible by design.

Reframing Anonymous Players as the First Lifecycle Stage

The most effective lotteries are beginning to treat anonymity not as a barrier, but as the first stage of the lifecycle.

Anonymous does not mean unknown. Even without personally identifiable information (“PII”), in‑app behavior provides strong signals. Those include which screens players view, how often they return, which games they explore, and how their activity patterns evolve over time.

Segmentation can begin with behavior rather than identity. For instance, a player who checks Powerball® numbers multiple times a week is different from one who occasionally browses scratch games. Messaging can reflect that difference without ever asking for an email address.

Mobile‑first engagement channels make this possible. In‑app messaging and push notifications allow lotteries to communicate with players while they are active, on the screens they are already visiting. Unlike email, these channels do not require prior opt‑in at the earliest stages.

In‑app messages can reach 100% of active users at moments of relevance and on screens of relevance.

This approach replaces one‑off prompts to register with thoughtful lifecycle journeys. Anonymous players can be guided through contextual, value‑driven messages that educate, assist, and build trust before any personal data is requested.

When relevance comes first, registration becomes an earned step, not an obstacle.

The Results: Driving Measurable Impact

When anonymous engagement is treated as part of an intentional lifecycle design, the results ripple across the funnel.

In one representative North American lottery, an in‑app message designed to obtain push notification opt‑ins converted just under 10% (9.8%) of previously opted‑out players. Notably, 33% of those who converted were anonymous at the time, providing straightforward evidence that anonymous players not only accept communication, they also respond to it.

Engagement data reinforces this observation further. In another North American lottery, 51% of all in‑app message clicks came from anonymous players, and 53% of all push notification openers were anonymous. Far from being disengaged, these players were often among the most responsive.

Mobile-first engagement channels make this possible. In-app messaging allows lotteries to communicate with players while they are active, on the screens they are already visiting. Unlike email, in-app notifications do not require opt-ins. Push notifications require player opt-in, however more and more players are expecting those time sensitive communications to come from push as opposed to email. These are sent to players while they are not active in the app.

Over time, another key indication emerges: Registrations begin to rise while the anonymous audience stops growing out of proportion. That stability indicates a healthy funnel, illustrating that players are moving forward, not getting stuck at the top.

Downstream benefits follow naturally. As players register organically, email eligibility expands without additional pressure. In some jurisdictions, the number of push‑eligible players now exceeds the number of email‑eligible players—an unusual but telling indicator of perceived value.

Equally important, messaging efficiency improves. Segmented lifecycle journeys consistently outperform generic broadcast campaigns, particularly among high‑value players. Relevance reduces unnecessary sends, limits opt‑outs, and reassures stakeholders that engagement does not require over‑messaging.

Why This Matters for Lottery Growth

Anonymous players are not blind spots. They provide the foundation.

Registration, channel eligibility, and long‑term monetization are all tangible downstream outcomes of how players are treated before they identify themselves. Ignoring that stage means leaving engagement and revenue on the table.

Engaging anonymous audiences early shifts growth from episodic to structural. Lifecycle management evolves from a series of disconnected campaigns into a continuous, scalable system designed around player behavior, not just player data.