Online lottery to be legalized in Massachusetts as state aims for $100m revenue boost
The Bay State's most recent budget included the legalization of online lottery, with operations expected to be up and running by December of next year
Online lottery has officially been legalized in Massachusetts after Governor Maura Healey signed off on the state’s $58bn budget on Monday, July 29.
The new lottery has been tipped to drive an additional $100m in revenue, but language in the budget outlines that a portion of money generated by online lottery must be used to partly fund the state’s early education and care initiative, as per MassLive.
Last year, the Massachusetts State Lottery amassed a record profit total of $1.2bn, which in turn was dished out to the state’s towns and cities from a total sales revenue figure of $6.1bn.
Massachusetts State Lottery Commission chair Deborah Goldberg backed the decision to legalize online lottery, insisting it is a necessary step if the state hopes to expand its presence among different audiences.
“This will allow the lottery to keep pace with its competition and reach newer audiences,” Goldberg explained.
“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.”
All online lottery participants in the Bay State will have to be aged 21 or over, but there has been no change to the age requirements of those taking part in retail lottery, which has remained at 18.
“Our team is excited to implement an online Lottery,” said Mark William Bracken, executive director of the Massachusetts State Lottery.
“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.”
Those overseeing the process anticipate launching an online lottery platform in approximately 16 months in the winter of 2025.
However, Bracken did add that the Massachusetts State Lottery has expected this development for some time and anticipates the process in taking the lottery online to be “somewhat seamless.”
Both the MA lottery app and website were built with online lottery in mind, according to Bracken, which includes 350,000 existing authenticated players that have gone through verification processes.
While speaking to MassLive, Bracken also touched on concerns over land-based outlets, as he revealed: “One of our primary concerns in this entire process is to not only protect the sales at retail locations but also to help grow those sales at retail locations.”
He went on to heap praise on state lotteries in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Michigan and how each state has been able to foster a successful retail partner relationship.