Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) has urged the Ethiopian Lottery Service (ELS) to accelerate digital transformation, strengthen its core lottery operations, and improve market monitoring as Ethiopia seeks to unlock greater value from its gaming sector.
The call came during EIH’s Annual Performance Dialogue with the Ethiopian Lottery Service, where both institutions reviewed ELS’s performance, ongoing reforms in the sector, and strategic priorities.
EIH said that while ELS has made progress in governance, regulatory improvements, and modernization, sales volumes and revenue remain below the wider potential of Ethiopia’s lottery market.
A major focus of the dialogue was the need for ELS to reinforce its core lottery business while also identifying new opportunities for sustainable growth. ELS is Ethiopia’s national lottery operator with a long-standing role in the country’s lottery industry, and EIH describes it as a state-owned operator responsible for publishing, distributing, and selling local and foreign lottery products.
EIH indicated that strengthening these core operations should remain a central priority as ELS works to increase its contribution to Ethiopia’s economy. Digitization was also identified as an area that requires faster progress.
EIH stressed the importance of developing ELS’s internal digital capabilities and taking better advantage of the rapid expansion of the global digital lottery and gaming market. The push builds on work already underway, including plans for strategic investment in digital solutions and movement toward digital lottery products.
EIH said greater digital adoption could create new distribution channels, improve operational efficiency, and provide consumers with more convenient access to lottery products. It could also enable stronger access to market data, helping the operator better understand consumer behavior and emerging trends.
In addition to technology, EIH emphasized the importance of improving market monitoring. Stronger monitoring would help ELS identify shifts in consumer demand, assess the performance of different lottery products, and respond more effectively to changes within Ethiopia’s gaming market.
EIH linked monitoring to the broader need for transparency and accountability in the lottery sector, noting that transparency is a key requirement in ELS operations as Ethiopia’s lottery market continues to evolve.
EIH also said that responsible gaming should be at the center of future growth. It called for a more transparent, responsible, and sustainable gaming ecosystem that balances commercial expansion with consumer protection and wider socio-economic objectives.
EIH noted that the importance of responsible gaming is increasing as lottery and gaming businesses adopt digital platforms. Online and mobile channels can broaden access to gaming products, making effective oversight, transparent operations, and strong safeguards more essential.
Overall, the dialogue suggests EIH sees considerable room for growth within Ethiopia’s lottery industry. Although ELS’s recent sales volume and revenue performance have not matched the broader market potential, EIH believes that faster digital transformation, strengthened internal capabilities, and improved market intelligence could help close that gap.
As the strategic investment arm of the Ethiopian government, EIH’s involvement also highlights a broader aim to make state-owned enterprises more efficient, commercially sustainable, and better able to respond to changing markets.
The latest performance dialogue between EIH and ELS signals a clear direction for Ethiopia’s lottery sector: strengthen the traditional lottery business, accelerate digital transformation, improve market monitoring and intelligence, and build a more responsible gaming ecosystem.
As digital lottery markets continue to expand globally, EIH wants ELS positioned to capture emerging opportunities while increasing the industry’s socio-economic contribution.
