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Every week, millions of Quebecers open the Loto-Québec app to check their lottery numbers. However, when it came time to play casino games, they had to switch to the website: a split experience that didn’t make sense for players.

That gap gave “grey market” gambling apps a way in. They might look flashy, but they come with risks: no one is checking the odds, no one guarantees your winnings, and there’s nothing in place to keep playing healthy. Loto-Québec’s value is the opposite — a safe place to play where the rules are clear, winnings are sure, and safeguards are built in so gaming stays fun.

By 2025, Loto-Québec's mobile app was set for a new chapter. Sid Lee had already transformed the online gaming platform into a comprehensive casino destination, and the next step was to extend that progress to mobile.

The mandate was clear: design Quebec's first unified gaming app that combines the familiar ritual of weekly lottery play with the excitement of casino games in a single, seamless experience. More than just an update, the goal was to establish a foundation for the future—an app built to evolve, integrate new offerings, and provide a safer, richer experience for every player in Quebec.

The challenge was to design an experience that felt seamless while respecting the unique mindsets of lottery and casino players. Lottery is a ritual, a weekly rendez-vous built on habit and anticipation. Casino play is more exploratory. It’s about variety, discovery, and entertainment.

The strategy was to bridge these behaviours in one app: introduce lottery players to the world of casino, invite casino players to engage with lotteries, and create a flow that made both audiences feel at home. At its core, the insight was simple — gaming isn’t just about transactions, it’s about moments of play, routine, and entertainment. The app needed to honour those patterns while gently connecting the two worlds.

The new app was built to feel like one natural destination, not two separate worlds stitched together. Lottery players can still do what they’ve always done like check numbers, scan tickets, and follow their weekly draws but now it all lives alongside the fun of casino play. From slots to table games, players can explore new experiences without ever leaving the app.

For Loto-Québec, the design turned the home screen into more than a utility. It became a space to showcase featured games, promote seasonal offers, and guide players toward new discoveries. The experience stays fresh and dynamic, while still feeling familiar and easy to navigate. By meeting players where they are and inviting them to try something new, the app strengthens Loto-Québec’s role as both a trusted service provider and a source of entertainment.

The project began with co-creation workshops that brought together Loto-Québec stakeholders, product owners, and designers with Sid Lee’s creative team. Together, we mapped player journeys and identified potential friction points, ensuring the app would feel like a natural evolution of existing habits rather than a disruption.

From this foundation, responsible gaming was integrated directly into the experience — part of the entertainment environment rather than an add-on. Accessibility was treated with the same importance, so the app could serve everyone from long-time lottery buyers to younger casino players.

By combining collaboration, safety, and inclusivity, Sid Lee helped Loto-Québec extend its unified web experience into the native app. What had previously been lottery-only is now a complete destination, offering Quebecers seamless access to both lottery and casino games on mobile for the first time.

The project was a true collaboration. Loto-Québec contributed across every aspect of the work — from product stakeholders to in-house designers and technical teams responsible for the broader ecosystem. Building on that foundation, Sid Lee was entrusted with leading the vision for the user experience, shaping the app’s UX and UI design, overall experience architecture, and accessibility integration. Mirego supported the initiative through technical development, bringing the design to life on iOS and Android.

In March 2025, Loto-Québec launched something players had been waiting for: a single app where lottery and casino games finally coexist. For the first time, Quebecers can check their weekly numbers, scan tickets, and then jump straight into slots or table games all without leaving the app.

For Loto-Québec, the new app represents a huge step forward in bringing together all its offerings into a single, trusted platform. And for Sid Lee, it marks another milestone in a long partnership: helping shape how Quebecers safely connect with gaming, one experience at a time.