The National Lottery has millions of players across its retail and digital channels. One of its missions in this respect is to give players easy, around-the-clock access to its games, everywhere in Belgium, while strictly enforcing the legal minimum age of 18 and responsible gambling limits.
To accomplish that goal securely, online players had to manually complete a long form when registering, and manage complex passwords each time they signed in to their account.
Together with itsme, the National Lottery introduced verified digital identity across the customer journey. The result: a frictionless and secure path to play, fewer support tickets, and a built-in safeguard to make sure winnings are always claimed.
With more than 6 million players still buying tickets in shops today, retail remains a key channel for the National Lottery. But while shops close, digital play remains available around the clock, and is just a few clicks away. Still, two friction points stood in the way of a smooth digital experience.
Registration: the only way to open an online account was by manually completing a long web form with ID card data. This data was then checked for authenticity. During high-traffic moments, like a big jackpot, that verification step became a bottleneck. It would sometimes even stall account creation altogether.
Login: to keep accounts secure, the National Lottery demands long, complex passwords. That security came at a cost: players often struggled to log in or recover their passwords. As a result, call centre workers received an increasing number of calls.
On top of that, returning players who forgot they already had an account would hit a vague error when they tried to register again (“there may be an issue with your account/your password/your email address”). Around 30% of registrations ran into this wall, and many players simply gave up.
The National Lottery didn’t replace the existing flow, but it gave players a faster way through it. Alongside the form, players can now sign up and log in using verified digital identity from itsme.
The new flow works both ways.
Upon registration, itsme supplies verified identity data directly, removing the need to manually type in ID card details. If the system recognises that players’ data matches an existing account, they are automatically logged in.
At login, players authenticate through the itsme app instead of a complex password, cutting out one of the main reasons players used to call customer service.
The National Lottery’s legal obligations remain. Every new account is still checked against the minimum legal age of 18, and the same verified identity data is used to enforce responsible gambling controls: adjustable limits on daily spend, losses, deposits and games played.
What changed for players
In recent satisfaction surveys on the registration process, 90% of players rated their experience 4 or 5 stars out of 5. Nearly all of the remaining dissatisfaction came from players who had used the old manual form.
The vague duplicate-account error is largely gone too. Where roughly 30% of registrations once hit it, itsme’s automatic recognition now logs returning players straight into their account, without the confusion or frustration of starting over.
itsme adoption now also cuts across age groups. Players aged 55+ are somewhat more likely to stick with the manual form, but uptake reaches well beyond a ‘young user’ profile. The National Lottery now runs campaigns promoting itsme to players of every age, built on two reassurances: that players stay in control of their play, and that their personal data is protected.
Verified identity also strengthens the Lottery’s responsible gambling framework, and prevents banned players from creating a new account under a different identity. "itsme plays a key role in responsible gambling for us," concludes Maxime. "That’s something we’ll keep building on in the future."
itsme adoption now also cuts across age groups. Players aged 55+ are somewhat more likely to stick with the manual form, but uptake reaches well beyond a ‘young user’ profile. The National Lottery now runs campaigns promoting itsme to players of every age, built on two reassurances: that players stay in control of their play, and that their personal data is protected.