It is not uncommon for lottery operators to have their own mobile apps. However, there is more behind this story than just trying to live up to the top names that are doing it, as such apps allow a smoother and more accessible customer experience and encourage more people to play. In this NC Lottery Mobile App review, we will look at the app developed for the Northern Carolina lottery.
Stand-Out Feature
The whole purpose of any mobile application is to allow you to do things while on the move that you may not otherwise be able to do. This may include ordering something online and having them delivered to you that you may not get time to stop and purchase in a store. Or, it might be to schedule meetings and keep track of your calendar for you so that it is one less thing that you have to worry about.
The point is, each app has one defining thing. For a lottery app, it should always be that it makes it easier to play in the lottery—even if you are in a place where you usually would not be able to. And for that, we are really excited about the main feature of this app—that it allows you to purchase official lottery tickets directly off of your mobile device.
The app does this by linking directly to your NC Lottery online account and allowing you access to your player account. From here, you can purchase tickets for any of the supported lotteries.
Additional Features
In addition to the fact that you can purchase new tickets, the app also comes with the following added extras:
Ticket Checker: As is a standard with most of the best mobile lottery apps, the NC Lottery app comes with an automated ticket checker. This checks your chosen numbers against all recent draw results and tells you whether or not you are a winner—and the best part is that it is fully automated. All that you will need to do is to point your device camera at the barcode on your lottery ticket, and the app will scan all the data it needs. Alternatively, if you like doing things the old school way, you can manually enter your ticket number in and allow the app to check if you have won.
Lucke-Rewards: The Lucke-Rewards system is a great points system introduced by the lottery. To earn points, all that you need to do is scan in your lottery tickets with the app—whether or not they are winning tickets is irrelevant. For each ticket you scan, you will be allocated some Lucke-Reward points. You can also earn these points via the ‘Earn’ tab on the app. This allows you to complete activities to earn additional points.
All Lucke-Reward points can be redeemed on the app for a chance to enter into special unique draws. From what we can see, you can also use your points to purchase things like scratch cards from within the app.
Lottery Notifications: You may expect this already, but yes, the app does come with a range of customisable notification options for all your favourite lotteries. These notifications will alert you of things such as the winning numbers of a draw, if there was a winner for specific draws, and even if the jackpot on your chosen lottery reaches a certain amount.
Find a Retailer: Even though this is somewhat redundant considering the ability to purchase tickets through the app, the app can help you find a physical retailer from which you can buy lottery tickets. Using your device location, the app will display a map of all authorised retailers in or around your area.
Scratch-Offs: The app also allows you access to a wide variety of NC Lottery scratchers. These can be purchased directly through the app and played on your screen.
It must be said, however, that by default the app tracks your location. And, if you are not in the US, all of these features (including the ability to purchase tickets) will be disabled. While you can get around this by using a VPN, the chances that a ticket you purchase will be valid if you do win are limited if you bought the ticket through a VPN.
Location & Lotteries Available
At the moment, it seems that there are only five lottery games that are available through the app. These include:
Powerball
Mega Millions
Lucky for Life
Carolina Cash 5
Carolina Keno
User Interface & Usability
Truth be told, this is one of the better lottery applications that we have encountered. The app is modern and well designed. Everything has a unique place that has been well thought about, and it is easy to navigate around the app to find what you are looking for.
Another great thing about the functionality of the app is the fact that it links to your online player profile. This means that if you are already used to playing NC Lottery on your PC, you will have no problems moving all your information to your mobile device. And, if you are a new player, the registration process available through the app is also great.
The only thing that we are not overly thrilled about regarding the app is the fact that it is not available directly from the Google Play Store. If you are using an Apple device, this will not affect you considering the app is on the Apple App Store. However, if you are using Android, you will need to visit the NC Lottery website and download the app APK from there. Then, you will need to sideload the app onto your device. Why this is the case is anybody’s guess.
While the Android version of the app seems to be working fine, the iOS version of the app seems to carry some pretty awful reviews. Specifically, it looks as though an update that occurred at the end of 2019 has tarnished the app—but this does not seem to be affecting everyone equally. Therefore, if you are an iOS user, the best thing would be to download the app and see if you are affected.
Ads
We did not expect any advertisements in this app—we never do when it comes to official lottery apps. Thankfully, we were not disappointed. The only things that we could even consider as ads are the draw banners of upcoming lottery draws that are shown on the home screen. Of course, we do not actually consider these as ads because they display information that might be the exact reason that you downloaded the app for in the first place.
NC Lottery Mobile App: Scam or Legit?
The app is developed and distributed by the official NC Lottery. Therefore, there is no doubt as to whether or not this app is legitimate. It is 100% authentic and can be trusted fully.
Conclusion – NC Lottery App Review
Some official lotteries try really hard to make a decent mobile app that inspires people to play their lotteries and use their services. Unfortunately, they sometimes come up short. This is not the case with the NC Lottery mobile app. This is one of the better apps that we have seen, and we encourage anybody with a smartphone (who resides in or is visiting the US) to download it as soon as possible. That is, unless you happen to have an iOS device. In that case, we recommend downloading the app and checking if it will work for you the way that it should.
However, if you’d like to play the world’s best lotteries instead of just a handful of American ones, then we recommend checking out our reviews for the fantastic apps offered by Lottery.com and theLotter. Both of these will let you buy tickets to the best draws from the USA, Canada, Europe, and beyond.
