Michigan Lottery Pressing for Online Ticket Sales

Online tickets could be available by late 2014.

November 27, 2013

LANSING – Despite opposition from some state lawmakers and the attorney general, the Michigan Lottery is moving forward with plans to offer online ticket sales, MLive.com reports.

The Lottery announced earlier this week that it has chosen two vendors to implement a new iLottery system that could include online, mobile and tablet applications that sell instant and draw game tickets. The service is expected to be available by the end of 2014.

“Our players, especially our younger players, more and more, they want to interact with us over the Internet, and it’s really one of those things … you only have to look at the music business to see how the marketplace has changed,” said Michigan Lottery spokesman Jeff Holyfield.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette maintain such a system would exacerbate gambling problems while impairing brick-and-mortar businesses that sell tickets.

“Attorney General Schuette opposes the expansion of gaming in Michigan, and that includes this effort to move lottery to mobile devices,” said spokeswoman Joy Yearout.

The Michigan Lottery has chosen a bid from Canadian-based Pollard Banknote Ltd. and Malta-based NeoGames, the lowest bid among three proposals.

The Lottery has not yet negotiated a contract but projects the agreement to be worth roughly $23.2 million in the first four years.

Legislation has been introduced in Michigan’s House and Senate to ban online lottery ticket sales, but neither bill has made it out of committee.

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