From building to connecting: An early look at StarVale Lottery Platform 2

By Tom Wright – IT Manager, StarVale

Reimagining lottery tech for a brighter fundraising future

Last month in my article titled: From fixing to building: Six months in and the future of lottery fundraising, I shared what my first six months as IT Manager looked like and why I believe 2027 will be a defining year for technology at StarVale. I promised to share our progress along the way, so here is the first update: an early preview of what’s next for our platform, which is at the heart of those plans.

We’re continuing to elevate our charity lottery platform. A number of early adopters are live, and we are rolling out continuous upgrades behind the scenes, ensuring zero disruption to your current operations while delivering powerful new capabilities to scale your charity lottery fundraising.

First things first: it’s business as usual

If you’re a StarVale client, your current platform remains fully supported, maintained and secure. Your draws, your supporters, and your day-to-day operations carry on exactly as they do now. If you’re a new client migrating to StarVale, this is the platform you will be launching on.

There’s nothing you need to do. When the time comes to move onto the new platform, we’ll plan it together with you, communicate what the process looks like and any implications the migration might involve. Our ultimate aim is to be able to move sites over without any interruption to services, using your existing artwork and themes and avoiding anything other than minimal downtime.

Introducing StarVale Lottery Platform 2

In my previous article I talked about building the next generation of our web platforms. That work is part of a bigger picture we call StarVale Lottery Platform 2: two core platforms built on a single, consistent foundation, sharing the same data.

1. The Lottery Web Platform is the supporter-facing side. It powers journeys such as the main Lottery, Extra Chances and Super Draw, plus email and mobile apps, with room to add more over time.
2. The Lottery Management Platform is the management side. It brings the Client Portal, Customer Relationship Management, the Shop, and F2F sales together in one place.

Draws continue to run in a secure, controlled environment, with data shared safely to the systems that need it. The biggest change is one you won’t see.

The most significant part of StarVale Lottery Platform 2 sits behind the scenes: a new layer of APIs that will power the whole process. An API is simply a secure way for systems to talk to each other directly.

Real-time data syncing via modern APIs

Today, information moves between our systems through scheduled automated updates that run at set times. That approach works reliably and will continue to support current clients. The APIs take things a step further, keeping both platforms in step with our back-end systems as changes happen, rather than waiting for the next scheduled update.

In practice, that means:

• More up-to-date information across the Client Portal, CRM, Shop and supporter journeys.
• Smoother experiences for supporters, with sign-ups, payments and results reflected everywhere sooner.
• A stronger foundation that makes it easier to add new channels and features in future.

It’s a good example of the shift I described last month, from fixing symptoms to engineering out root causes.

What it will mean for you

We are building on what already works well and make it even easier to run a successful lottery. When migrated, StarVale Lottery Platform 2 offers:

1. One joined-up view. Supporters, sales and draws in one place, whether someone signs up online, in a shop or face to face.
2. A new email platform. Better-looking, more reliable supporter emails, from welcome messages and draw results to win notifications, all connected to the rest of the platform.
3. Consistent experiences. Supporters get the same reliable experience across web, email and mobile.
4. Room to grow. New supporter journeys and channels can be added without starting from scratch.
5. Strong foundations. Security, resilience and data protection designed and built-in from the start.

We’ll share more detail as features take shape, and we’d love to hear what matters most to you.

Building it the right way

A lottery platform carries a lot of trust, and it has to meet the standards set by the Gambling Commission, PCI and our certifications. So, we’re delivering Lottery Platform 2 with the structured approach I set out last month: explicit goals, clear accountability and visible progress tracking.

• Security first. Protecting your data and your supporters’ data guides every design decision.
• Sound engineering. Proven practices for building, testing and running reliable systems.
• Thorough testing. Nothing goes live until it has been fully tested and proven.
• Listening as we build. Working closely with colleagues across StarVale and the wider Group, and inviting client feedback as we go.

Last month I explained how AI tools are helping our developers move faster without replacing engineering judgement. Testing has to keep pace with that. We’re rolling out the ISTQB® Certified Tester – AI Testing training programme across our IT and QA teams, so the people building and testing Lottery Platform 2 can test modern, AI-enabled systems to a recognised international standard. It’s also a great example of our one-team approach: shared skills that make the whole team stronger.

Looking ahead to 2027

In January 2027 we’ll present our strategic technology roadmap, as promised last month, including updates on StarVale Lottery Platform 2. We then plan to begin a phased rollout during 2027. Clients will move across in stages, with plenty of notice, clear communication and dedicated support.

Until then, it’s business as usual. Getting these foundations right is what gives the team room for the moonshots I mentioned last time, and I’ll keep sharing our progress here.

If you’d like more information about our technology road map, please contact our expert team today.