Massachusetts has legalized iLottery, an online lottery platform, in what the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA) said is a “landmark legislation.” NECSEMA said it worked with the Legislature as they crafted the law, and advocated for several key protections for the convenience store industry “to protect brick-and-mortar businesses and create a competitive landscape when the new system is rolled out.”

Among the protections for store operators included in the new law are:

• The creation of a stakeholder “Lottery Modernization Committee,” which will include several industry representatives, including a member of NECSEMA and a licensed sales agent from a brick-and-mortar store.
• Allowing brick-and-mortar stores to accept debit card payments for lottery.
• Requiring all iLottery apps to include a search function to point customers to local stores.
• Requiring strict age verification for iLottery.
• Requiring the Lottery commission to implement promotional activities to encourage the purchase of lottery tickets, games or shares through licensed sales agents.

“Simply moving the State Lottery online without any consideration for the impact on local store owners would have been catastrophic. We are grateful that the Legislature included these vital protections to help our store owners remain competitive in the face of evolving technologies,” said Peter Brennan, executive director of NECSEMA.

“Our stores are essential small businesses that provide food, drinks, fuel and other products and create employment in our communities,” Brennan continued. “We look forward to working with the Lottery Commission to build upon these provisions for brick-and-mortar stores in order to help our industry remain competitive as technology improves while allowing operators to continue providing jobs, goods and services in our neighborhoods.”