Royal Caribbean trials app-based scratch-card lottery on Utopia of the Seas

Royal Caribbean has begun piloting a mobile digital lottery on Utopia of the Seas, letting passengers buy virtual scratch-off tickets through the cruise line's app. The trial is currently limited to that vessel, but the operator is expected to roll the game out across more ships in the coming months.

Tickets are priced between $2 and $20, with a top prize of $100,000. Payouts of up to $2,000 are posted automatically to the passenger's onboard account; larger wins must be claimed in person at the Casino Royale cashier, where tax paperwork is completed before funds are released.

The new game replaces Paradise Lotto, a lottery-style offering Royal Caribbean ran before the pandemic. The initiative follows Carnival's launch of Carnival Millions in February, which pools participating ships for a daily $1 million draw.

Cruise operators have been expanding digital gaming options, but full-scale online gambling at sea still faces hurdles around connectivity and latency. BetMGM previously tested mobile sports betting and casino games with Carnival in 2022 across more than 50 vessels, though the partnership later ended. Satellite internet delays proved problematic for sports betting, which requires real-time data and live odds, and passengers showed greater interest in physical casinos than in online casino games.

Satellite services such as Starlink have improved connectivity on some ships, yet speed and reliability remain concerns for real-time betting. Cruise ship casinos are permitted to operate once vessels reach international waters, with industry standards referenced by the Cruise Lines International Association.

Royal Caribbean's trial takes a narrower approach to mobile gaming, giving passengers access to lottery-style entertainment through the cruise app without extending the full physical casino experience into online gambling.