Jump to the main content.
Currently, Michigan is among the four states that permit residents to buy lottery tickets and/or participate in instant win games through online platforms. The remaining three states that offer this online convenience are Georgia, Illinois, and Kentucky. It could have been five states, since the Minnesota Lottery previously allowed online lottery sales for approximately a year until a law was enacted by the legislature to forbid the online sale of lottery tickets.
Soon, New Hampshire is set to replace Minnesota as the fifth state to bring its lottery online. In the coming months, there is a possibility that even more states, including Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, will follow suit and chart a path towards online lottery.
New Hampshire
In preparation for January 2018, New Hampshire is making arrangements to introduce lottery products. The bill authorizing the New Hampshire Lottery to provide online lottery games was successfully passed by the New Hampshire Legislature recently. The bill was signed into law by Governor Chris Sununu in late June.
The specific games and the exact commencement date of online sales for New Hampshire’s lottery remain uncertain. Nevertheless, reports from the local area suggest that the state aims to launch its online lottery sales in early 2018.
The New Hampshire Lottery Commission will be responsible for finalizing the regulatory and product details, as the state still needs to decide on an online lottery provider.
The Executive Director of the NH Lottery Commission, Charlie McIntyre, informed the local press that his agency is currently working on finding the most effective approach to introduce and establish online lottery services.
McIntyre informed the Union Leader that, in our perspective, it is merely a progression in our business practices. He clarified that we are not introducing any novel products; instead, we are adopting an alternative approach to achieve the same results.
We can confirm that New Hampshire’s online lottery will introduce a distinctive feature that has not been implemented in other states thus far. According to the legislation, residents of New Hampshire who wish to buy lottery tickets online will be required to register an account at a physical lottery retailer that already exists.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is on the verge of finalizing a bill that will permit online lottery sales, online gambling, and daily fantasy sports. Approval of online lottery in Pennsylvania is highly anticipated by the end of 2017.
Surprisingly, the notion of the Pennsylvania lottery transitioning to an online platform has not ignited the same level of controversy as online casino gambling, despite both endeavors being subject to identical safeguards and regulations.
Massachusetts
In 2016, Massachusetts made progress towards passing an online lottery bill. The bill successfully passed in the Senate, but unfortunately, it did not have enough time to be considered in the House before the legislative session ended. Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg has revealed that the state intends to make another attempt at legalizing online lottery sales in 2018.
Bottom line
By the beginning of 2018, it is anticipated that five states in the US will have implemented online lottery systems, while several other states are making preparations to follow suit.
