Starting Aug. 15 the Massachusetts Lottery will only show video replays of its in-state lottery drawings on its Web site, shifting away from the television format that players in Massachusetts have grown accustomed to since the 1970s.
Ending its agreement with current broadcast partner WCVB-Channel 5, Lottery officials will host its daily drawings mid-day and in the evening at their Braintree headquarters and post the full drawing online at masslottery.com "just minutes after the drawing occurs."
The change applies to The Numbers Game, Cash WinFall, Mass Cash, and Megabucks Doubler. Links to multi-state drawings for Mega Millions and Powerball also will be provided on the site.
"It's just not economically feasible to be on air anymore," said Beth Bresnahan, the Lottery's assistant executive director.
The Lottery currently pays about $20,000 a month in rent to WCVB for the right to broadcast Lottery drawing results for 10 seconds twice a day. With a diminished $2 million advertising budget over the past several years, officials said they rebid that contract and received two offers, including one at more than double the current price from WCVB and another from Boston.com for roughly $600,000 a year, a bid that factored in costs associated with building a studio to broadcast the drawings, officials said.
Over the years, the Lottery has seen its time on TV shrink from one minute on air, to 45 seconds, then 30 seconds and now 10 seconds, prohibiting the Lottery from even broadcasting the drawing and leaving it with only enough time to display the results.
By moving the drawings to its website, Bresnahan said, the Lottery will be able to show the full drawing and reach players in central and western Massachusetts that do not have access to Boston stations.
The Lottery has partnered with WCVB since 2004, but previously held contracts with Channel 7 and Channel 4 in the Boston market. Results from the drawings will continue to be provided to local television stations and daily newspapers for publication.
Massachusetts lottery results are presented immediately after each drawing on Lottery Post's Massachusetts Lottery Results page.
The State of Massachusetts loves being first. A few years ago it was the first state to legalize gay marriage now internet drawing. There is rumor of internet gambling in the air. Haha maybe polygamy will soon be legalized..um, Utah has that...forgetaboutit
Not broadcasting LIVE drawings on over-the-air TV is a very bad idea. Most lotteries take security and integrity as a high priority and by not offering live drawings over broadcast TV station(s) this jeopardizes the public's perception of fair and honest drawings.
The lottery is such a huge profit maker and should have no problem financially doing whatever it takes to keep the LIVE drawings on free broadcast TV...
i've heard that ,you should "never say never" i'gonna take a chance . "you will never see a lottery drawing watching the superbowl "
i don't think that wasted any mojo .
I think democrat John Kerry and his wife oughta kick in to keep it on the air.
They could use some of that tax money they cheat the state out of by parking their 7 million dollar yacht in Rhode Island.
What as*holes.I hope sales plummet.Aren't they aware the only thing that makes lottery seems valid is that people can see the balls bouncing in the hopper?
It's funny how the players have to take a hit in this way because the finances aren't there but i'm sure the finances are there to keep printing scratch off tickets or model some new games though
They never learn.
they haven't show the bouncing balls for the daily numbers for a few years now anyway. they just post up the results on the late news. they have so many games now that the newspeople get confused as to what game they're showing the results for. yes, rdgrnner, your deep seething hatred for ma dems is somewhat justified. the kerrys paid to get a fire hydrant moved from in front of their boston townhouse to create an extra parking space for their vehicle, so why not pay for the tv 15 second spot. i suggest you stop buying heinz ketchup to help bankrupt them since his wife owns the company.
i rather agree with lottery on this one
its 2011, soon to be 2012
its the news Job to report stuff
the fact lottery's have been paying them to tell their watchers, Who watch them for news.info, the info is a joke, your payhing them to do their job
just post drawings online, at your website.
if the people don't get their lottery numbers form online, they just find a other way :P, they always do
The important thing is that they're keeping the balls intact. So many states have used television costs as justification for computerizing drawings (even as some kept TV contracts going). Plus, IIRC, WCVB was only showing the drawing for The Numbers Game, and was just flashing a graphic for the other games. So, in a way, this is actually increasing public exposure.
I don't have a "deep seething hatred" for anybody, faber. I just don't like hypocritical scam artists like Kerry pissin' on my leg and tellin me it's raining.
He's never met a tax he didn't like and has voted for every new tax and old tax and tax increase and tax extension that came before him. But when he had his 7 million dollar yacht built (in France) and realized he would have to pay one of those large confiscatory taxes he wants everyone else to pay just to moor it in Mass, he put it in Rhode Island to avoid paying that tax to his state. What a two-faced hypocrite. What a slimy weasel.
But does that make the dems mad?
Nope. Guys like him are heroes to the libs, they love him and will re-elect him by a landslide for the rest of his life.
Heinz ketchup is the best so I'll continue to buy it.
There you go again picking on democrats! And rich ones to boot.
Are they breaking any laws by parking their $7,000,000 yacht in Rhode Island?
their breaking the spirit of the law by useing a loophole,and he knows it, think he has a law degree,most of em do.
leona "only little people pay taxes " helmsley would be proud .
You keep buying those American products and if I ever have a need for a hockey puck I'll give you a call.
Try some of that cheap ketchup on your wolverine casserole. Yummmm!