Massachusetts State Lottery May Introduce Online Lottery Sales
Wednesday July 13th 2016Massachusetts State Lottery officials have admitted that online lottery sales are the future as they bid to attract younger players, and lawmakers are set to consider the option following a period of financial difficulty. While Massachusetts’ lottery is regarded as one of the most successful in the country, with around $1 billion a year generated to support local services, state treasurer Deb Goldberg has warned there will be a decline in sales over the coming years unless technology is embraced.
“The only way to reach the younger market is via online lottery games,” Goldberg, who oversees the Lottery Commission, said in the Boston Globe. “It is the future and we need to face it.” A proposal to allow online lottery games ‘remains under review’ by the Ways and Means Committee, according to a spokesman for Senate Speaker Robert DeLeo.
Senator Jennifer Flanagan has also suggested there is considerable backing for online lotteries: “We have a responsibility to look at every possible source of new revenue, and this is one of them,” said Flanagan, highlighting the vast budget deficit in the state which needs addressing.
Lottery fans in Massachusetts currently have to play their favourite games by visiting authorized retailers and buying tickets in person, but Goldberg has played down concerns that having an online option might hit convenience stores in the pocket. Michigan, for example, started running online games a couple of years ago but retail sales have remained strong, and Goldberg says a marketing campaign would help stores to flourish.
Massachusetts stores have certainly enjoyed great success over the past few days. Marcus Gonzalez from Sharon bought a ticket at Cumberland Farms and won $1 million in Friday’s incredible Mega Millions draw, which also saw one player from Indiana land the $540 million jackpot. Judith Hudson from Hyannis then won $1 million in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing after matching five main numbers with a ticket bought at her local AM/PM Convenience store. She is now looking forward to paying off her mortgage and remaining car payments and then investing the rest.
While Hudson and lots of other players picked up great prizes in Saturday’s Powerball, the jackpot rolled over again and will now rise to a massive $311 million for tonight’s drawing. Tickets can be bought from authorized retailers in participating states like Massachusetts or online from the rest of the world, and it could just be that another gigantic jackpot is given away days after it happened in Mega Millions. Good luck!
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