Legislators push back against NJ Lottery's attempts to start online sales
By Kate Northrop
A bill that would ban the direct sale of lottery tickets online by the New Jersey Lottery unanimously passed in an Assembly committee meeting, bringing it one step closer to a floor vote.
State legislators are pushing back against the New Jersey Lottery with two bills that would prevent it from selling tickets over the Internet.
In August 2023, the New Jersey Lottery announced that it would begin selling tickets directly to players online, with a tentative benchmark for fall of 2024 that has since been pushed back to 2025. As state lotteries work to appeal to younger Gen Z players, brick-and-mortar retailers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the move.
"It's not just the loss of the sale of the lottery [ticket] — it is all the ancillary sales for somebody that used to go to that store for that ticket," New Jersey Food Council Vice President Mary Ellen Peppard told NJ Spotlight News. "They're buying their groceries, or a cup of coffee, or fuel, so that is a significant loss."
However, the New Jersey Lottery cited that brick-and-mortar retailers saw increased sales compared to ones in states that did not offer online sales.
"We looked at the experiences that other lotteries have had launching online games and saw sales of all lottery products grow at brick-and-mortar retailers," the New Jersey Lottery said in a statement. "The Lottery believes that this increase was directly related to the introduction of online sales and by appealing to the next generation of lottery players. These new lottery players, primarily under the age of 40, who are more online, are essential to the long-term viability and success of the lottery."
Regardless, Assemblyman Sterley Stanley introduced bill A3759, which would prevent the New Jersey State Lottery Commission from "selling lottery tickets via the internet." However, the bill "does not prohibit registered courier services from selling lottery tickets via the internet."
Licensed lottery couriers would still be allowed to operate in the state, which means New Jersey players would not necessarily lose total access to digital ticket sales.
Stanley's bill will undergo a second and third reading on the Assembly floor, followed by a full Assembly vote. If it succeeds, it will have to be passed by the Senate before landing on the Governor's desk for approval.
The Senate equivalent of the bill, S2159, was also introduced in the Senate by Senator Joseph Cryan, but it has yet to see a vote.
This nonsense is on the level of when the blue noses made ice cream sodas illegal on Sunday because the teenagers liked them. The result was the ice cream sunday, everything but the soda. Oh, but the butler services can continue selling tickets for double the retail price, whoop-de-do.
BobP
I agree BobP, it's ridiculous. But the reason without a doubt is because of political lobbying. Take note of which politicians are pushing this ban. Those same people are undoubtedly receiving millions from the convenience store lobbyists in order to force people to buy the lottery tickets in their stores rather than just using their phone.
It's always about money.
This goon is almost 11.5 years young than I. With his picture thought he was older.
Must be getting a kickback somewhere. Total shame that the lottery player...especially YOUNG ones who are used to the convenience of the Internet to do things to be put on the back burner.