FORT LAUDERDALE – State Senator Gwen Margolis is backing legislation that would allow for online lottery ticket sales in Florida.

The Sun-Sentinel reports that if the bill passes, Florida would become the eighth state to sell lottery tickets online. Margolis commented to the news source that the lottery is "one of the biggest fundraisers we have," adding, "This way, anybody who wants to buy them can buy them. Expand that instead of having big problems with major gaming in the community."

She continued, saying that the additional revenue from online lottery sales would far outweigh potential revenue from a casino in South Florida. The news source writes that the Las Vegas Sands Corp. has been lobbied heavily to bring a casino to the state as part of gambling compact negotiations with the Seminole tribe.

Margolis’s proposal does not explain how the Florida Lottery would allow players to purchase tickets online, but simply states that the Lottery shall "have the authority to create a program that allows a person who is 18 years of age or older to make an online purchase of a Florida lottery ticket. The department may adopt rules to administer the program."

Since Florida’s lottery began in 1988, it has raised $27 billion for education, with most of that going to a trust fund to be divided up by the Florida legislature.