SBC Summit Americas 2025 is less than a month away and the anticipation for the event is already starting to build. SBC Summit Americas will include speakers from key stakeholders in gaming, including Jackpot.com Chief of Staff Mike Silveira.
Silveira is integral in leading one of the largest lottery courier businesses in the world and is using his expertise as an industry leader to allow Jackpot.com to reach new heights.
SBC Americas spoke with Silveira about the lottery courier business and how Jackpot.com has spurred growth while separating itself from the rest of its competition in the industry.
SBCA: Lottery couriers have been a hot topic among regulators with a mixed bag of results for the vertical. How involved is Jackpot.com in discussions with regulators and lawmakers?
Silveira: Jackpot.com has always set out to work collaboratively with lottery commissions across the country. We never enter a state without a lottery commission’s blessing, ensuring their interests are prioritized as we make our product available to customers in that state. Since our launch in 2023, we’ve seen three additional states—beyond New York and New Jersey—begin the process to regulate couriers. We expect that trend to continue into the future as more lottery commissions seek to generate incremental sales and ultimately reach broader audiences. We firmly believe that regulation is good for our industry and will ensure that couriers continue to uphold the highest compliance and responsible gaming standards.
SBCA: Given the state of flux, how does the company approach growth and new markets?
Silveira: With any disruptive technology, initial pushback is inevitable. We saw it with Uber, Airbnb, FanDuel and DraftKings and we expect similar challenges to arise in the lottery industry. But ultimately what is good for the customer is what wins out in the long term. We expect the lottery courier industry will continue to expand to new states over time.
However, in the states we already operate in, fewer than 10% of lottery tickets are sold online. We are still in the early stages for this industry, even in the jurisdictions where couriers have operated for years.
SBCA: You’ll be on a panel discussing how lotteries can keep pace with a digital world. How can lotteries work with couriers to achieve that?
Silveira: Lotteries and lottery couriers have financially and strategically aligned incentives. We essentially act as a supplemental marketing arm for lotteries, enabling them to reach customers they otherwise wouldn’t be able to. A significant portion of Americans—especially younger generations—shop exclusively online, purchasing everything from groceries and vacuum cleaners to cars, all from their phones. You are going to be hard pressed to convert that type of customer to purchase from a brick-and-mortar retailer and that’s where we come in. We can meet those customers where they are and ultimately deliver a product to them in the way they have become accustomed to.
SBCA: Can you tell us more about why Jackpot.com’s new Univision partnership is so important, particularly given the recent launch in Arizona? is the Spanish-speaking U.S. population getting ignored by gaming companies?
Silveira: We couldn’t be more excited to kick off our partnership with Univision, the leading Spanish-language media company in the world. In the U.S., there are over 40 million people that speak Spanish at home as their primary language—that represents almost 15% of the entire U.S. population. This group of people is largely underserved in e-commerce and represents an enormous opportunity for growth. We’ve always placed an emphasis on localization and with this partnership we will be able to move up the funnel and reach a new audience.
SBCA: Many critics of couriers are concerned about brick-and-mortar retailers losing margin, but you’re partnered with 7-Eleven. How does that partnership work and how can retailers benefit from couriers?
Silveira: In general couriers are pursuing a very different customer than traditional lottery retailers. Our target customer is the digital customer that prefers to shop online and would purchase lottery tickets more frequently if that option was available to them. There will always be customers that prefer to purchase tickets in-person on their way to work or when they get their gas, and we encourage that.
For 7-Eleven, in particular, I think they view this partnership as creating more optionality for their customers. Their digital presence is growing every year with order ahead, delivery and rewards programs. This partnership enables them to continue to promote the lottery while leaning into those digital initiatives.
