Jackpot.com and THNDR Partner to Bring Skill Gaming to Lottery

Online lottery platform Jackpot.com and skill gaming company THNDR have partnered. They are launching real-money skill games and tournaments. Jackpot.com is the first major real-money operator to introduce this new category of play. This provides additional gaming options for its customers.

Jackpot.com users can now compete in popular skill-based titles like Solitaire and Blocks while purchasing lottery products. Daily and weekly tournaments offer a recurring reason to return. The games are already available in Arkansas, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio, via the Jackpot.com app on iOS and Android.

Numbers and facts

THNDR's network spans over 25 partners across sportsbooks, daily fantasy, and lottery platforms. Over 160 million games have been played and verified with a 99.99 percent match-fill rate. This cross-operator liquidity ensures that Jackpot.com players are instantly matched with a real opponent. A patent-pending game verification system and a 50/50 target win rate ensure fair matches.

Desiree Dickerson, CEO and co-founder of THNDR, expressed enthusiasm for the development: > “Launches at this scale are how skill gaming goes mainstream. They chose THNDR because the network is proven: a real opponent ready whenever a player wants one, and compliance work that has already been done. Skill gaming is at the beginning of its growth curve, and this partnership bends it upward.”

Dharin Nanavati, Chief Growth Officer at Jackpot.com, added to his company's vision: > “Jackpot.com has always believed the future of gaming is a single platform where every type of player finds their game. The launch of skill games and tournaments is the next step in that vision.”

Background

Skill games fall into a different legal category than games of chance. This distinction is particularly crucial for products adjacent to lotteries. Desiree Dickerson chairs the Online Skill Games (OSG) Committee within the International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA). This underscores the importance of regulatory classification. Unlike pure games of chance, where luck decides, the outcome of skill games substantially depends on the player's abilities. American gambling law often makes a strict distinction here, which significantly influences marketing and availability.

The integration of skill gaming expands Jackpot.com's portfolio. This allows the company to target a broader audience. It also offers a new form of entertainment for lottery product enthusiasts. Such developments have been anticipated in the United States since 2018. At that time, new technologies like mobile and cardless play, as well as new skill games from providers like Gamblit, showed their potential at the Global Gaming Expo. The growing number of court rulings distinguishing traditional gambling from skill games also contributes to innovations in this segment.

Why it matters for German players

For German players, the situation is different from that in the US. Here, the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling 2021 (GlüStV 2021) regulates the online gambling market. Lotteries in Germany typically fall under the jurisdiction of state lottery companies. These are subject to strict state controls. Pure online casinos with slot machines must hold a license from the Joint Gambling Authority of the Federal States (GGL). The GGL monitors compliance with regulations, which include deposit limits of 1,000 euros per month and a stake limit of one euro per spin. Providers must also be connected to the central self-exclusion system OASIS and the cross-state gambling supervision system (LUGAS). These systems serve to monitor and protect players.

Skill games, if they are not considered gambling under the GlüStV 2021, could theoretically be regulated differently. However, the exact distinction between skill and chance is often difficult and is strictly interpreted in Germany. A provider like THNDR would have to have its games rigorously checked to clarify whether they are considered gambling or not. A direct transfer of the US model of Jackpot.com and THNDR to the German market is therefore unlikely without adaptations to German regulatory requirements. German players should always consult the GGL whitelist to ensure they are playing with a licensed and secure provider.

What it means for GGL-licensed casinos

For online casinos with a German GGL license, offerings like those put together by Jackpot.com and THNDR are rather futuristic. The focus here is on heavily regulated slot machines. The introduction of skill games would require a clear legal classification within German gambling law.

Whether and how such games could be offered in Germany would depend heavily on the interpretation of the term “gambling” and the provisions of the GlüStV 2021. So far, GGL-licensed providers concentrate on offering online slot machine games that comply with the terms of the treaty. This also includes strict player protection measures. Other forms of gambling or skill games would need specific permits, which is not currently foreseeable.