Move comes immediately after Gov. signs budget legalizing online lottery sales
By Kate Northrop
The Massachusetts Lottery announced its plans to begin offering online ticket sales with an anticipated launch possibly towards the end of 2025.
The Massachusetts Lottery revealed that it is kicking off an action plan to implement a digital platform for selling lottery tickets online.
The Lottery wasted no time in declaring its intentions to kick-start the proposal. Just yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy signed the fiscal year 2025 state budget that includes language legalizing online lottery sales in the state. Later that day, the Lottery made its announcement.
"We thank Governor Healey for her support of online Lottery and approving it in the final FY25 budget," Massachusetts State Lottery Commission Chair and State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg said in a press release. "This will allow the Lottery to keep pace with its competition and reach newer audiences. We are prepared to implement a safe and reliable iLottery that will produce significant resources for critical childcare services, which are so desperately needed across the state."
Lottery officials are anticipating that the online platform will launch in approximately 16 months. While the age requirement for in-person retail lottery sales remains 18, the legislation that Governor Healey signed requires players to be at least 21 years old to participate in online sales.
"Our team is excited to implement an online Lottery," Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken said. "We are ready and prepared to offer our players a modern lottery experience in a safe and accessible environment. At the same time, the Lottery is unwavering in its commitment to our dedicated retail partners who have helped us become the most successful lottery in the country."
Currently, the Lottery is planning to offer "multi-state and in-state draw games, as well as a wide variety of instant game options" online, Lottery Director of Communications Christian Teja told Lottery Post.
The Massachusetts Lottery has generated a whopping $155 billion in revenues, awarded over $109 billion in prizes, contributed more than $33 billion in net profit to the state for unrestricted local aid provided to cities and towns, and awarded over $8.8 billion in commissions and bonuses to retailers since selling its first ticket in 1972.
With the revenue generated from online sales, the Lottery says that it is ready to support a grant program for early childhood education and care.
The next line item on the Lottery's to-do list is to find a vendor who will help build out their online platform. To accomplish that, it will be "conducting a Request for Response to procure services for the operation of an online lottery," a press release states.
"Thank you to Speaker Ron Mariano, President Karen Spilka, and the Joint Ways and Means Committee for prioritizing this important policy change," Goldberg continued. "And thank you to the legislators who have championed this issue. We are excited to get to work!"
I wish other states would do the same. Like South Carolina. Some states still don't have lottery machines and require cash only.
Great job Massachusetts.
Just woke up from a nap @ the computer and was genuinely shocked by this news!
So who would the vendors be? IGT or Scientific Games? In any case this is a win win for everyone.
So out of the loop for home state politics didn't know they had a female Governor until yesterday, for what this is worth.
Texas should do Online play next.
Thanks for the early morning laugh.
Texans can't even play their draw games on Sundays. Bible thumpers wouldn't like that. Yet in that state you can play Pick 4 four/day, six days a week.
An online lottery there about a snowball's chance in Dallas heat of passing.
LP does offer Texas residents a way to legally play online. You can click these buttons on the Texas Lottery Results page. (Some of the other state results pages have similar buy buttons, depending on what is legal in the state.)
Kentucky offered Online play several years ago and recently a player won a $690,000 Kentucky 5 jackpot playing Online. I've won many less than $600 prizes playing Online and simply request a withdrawal and the money is in my bank in a day or two.
They will deposit up to $25K according to them.
Todd,
Just received an email to my inquiry about online ticket sales in Texas. Texas law prohibits this just as stated on their website. She reiterated this to me.
Third parties will, as they said, go into brick and mortar stores and physically buy lottery tickets.
Doesn't surprise me though with some of their Austin legislators having negative lottery vibes that it is not offered (yet).
That is not correct. The service linked to by the buy buttons on our website are 100% legal for any resident of Texas. 100% legal.
Todd,
If I could forward you the email from them I will.
Jeffrey
Whatever you like. I am correct, and got it straight from the lottery director a couple years ago. Not my fault if a worker at the lottery does not understand legality issues.