LEGISLATORS ULTIMATELY opted against bringing the Massachusetts State Lottery online in their compromise budget for this fiscal year, but state Treasurer Deb Goldberg is still aggressively pushing for it. With the lottery and its $1 billion of annual profits churning through local corner stores and retailers, efforts to attract new customer bases and compete with online […]
Gambling
Posted inGambling
While online Lottery falters, third-party app provides tickets through workaround
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE AGAIN rejected an attempt to allow the Massachusetts Lottery to sell its products online, but that doesn’t mean gamblers can’t order Lottery tickets online or on their phones. Courier services that take orders for and then buy Lottery tickets on behalf of their clients have existed for years with […]
Posted inGambling
Lottery hits jackpot on all fronts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN THE FISCAL YEAR that ended June 30, the Massachusetts Lottery brought in more revenue than ever before, paid out more in prizes than any previous year, and expects to return a record high profit of $1.176 billion for the state to dole out to all 351 communities as local aid, […]
Posted inGambling
Campbell cautions against headlong rush to online lottery
ATTORNEY GENERAL Andrea Campbell has been reluctant to dive head-first into the debate over whether to move state lottery games online, steering clear of unconditional support or opposition to such a move. But she continues to wade in on the issue in ways that signal a wariness toward expanding the state-run gambling enterprise. What’s more, her […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming Commission asks feds to shut down illegal gambling
GAMBLERS IN MASSACHUSETTS have a full menu of wagering options to choose from these days: physical casinos, sports betting in person or online, and the state lottery, which some officials are itching to bring online as well. One thing not on the menu, Bay State regulators want to make clear, is illegal gambling. Members of […]
Posted inEconomy, Gambling, Opinion
An online lottery will hurt Main Street retailers
LOCALLY OWNED retail stores are rightfully up in arms about inclusion of an online lottery in the House fiscal 2024 budget. As demonstrated through testimony before the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, an online lottery system in competition against stores is not needed. The expansion of the lottery online will harm […]
Posted inPolitics
Competitiveness is watchword on Beacon Hill, but what does it mean?
BEACON HILL’S favorite buzzword these days is “competitiveness,” but the meaning isn’t always the same among the three big players in state government and their different approaches to the topic are shaping the upcoming budget debate. The Senate appears to be leaning into its more liberal reputation in defining competitiveness, proposing beefy investments in human […]
Posted inGambling
Envisioning a Massachusetts ‘iLottery’
IF THE MASSACHUSETTS LOTTERY expands onto the internet with a new “iLottery,” what could it look like? Let’s spin the wheel. Option 1 – Michigan. Started in 2014, the Michigan lottery is “the standard” for online lottery platforms, says interim Massachusetts State Lottery director Mark Bracken. The site hits you with a big payout draw […]
Posted inGambling, State Government
Campbell is wary but OK with online Lottery
THE COLORS ARE bright, the ads are popping, and promises of free money encourage you to just try out a bit of online gambling. Welcome to a vision of the online state lottery, which is making serious strides toward becoming reality in Massachusetts with the blessing of one legislative chamber and the new governor. Don’t […]
Posted inGambling
Mass. residents placed $568m in sports bets in March
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS placed $568 million in legal sports bets in March, with 77 percent of the money wagered with DraftKings and FanDuel. March was the first month where the state’s six online licensees and three brick-and-mortar casinos were all taking sports bets, so the numbers provide the first indication of sports betting’s popularity in Massachusetts. […]