Kentucky lottery now sells tickets online
News on 20 Apr 2016
News on 20 Apr 2016
The US state of Kentucky has never been a fan of online gambling (remember the brazen attempt to seize over almost 150 international operator domains?), but it appears that when it comes to lottery ticket sales a different set of morals and rules applies.
The Kentucky Lottery announced Tuesday that it has launched ticket sales online, becoming the fourth US state to do so. Kentucky Cash Ball, Powerball and Mega Millions tickets are among those available to punters who register an account at the lottery.
The initial offering on Play.kylottery.com, which is powered by International Game Technology, includes five instant win games, with the promise of more in the months ahead.
“Our customers are aging, and in order to maintain our business, we need to be more attractive to a younger demographic who are accustomed to conducting a majority of their retail purchases online,” said Arch Gleason, president and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery in a launch statement.
“This group is very mobile, and they expect brands to be accessible online and on their devices. We’re delivering what they want.”
The lottery official hastened to reassure retail ticket sellers, long a source of opposition to online ticket sales across the states, that they continue to be the most important element in the Lottery’s business and will receive their standard 5 percent commissions.
Gleason said the lottery will continue to invest in retailers, recently adding 300 new Gemini ticket vending machines and 250 new jackpot signs. It will also continue to partner with retailers in co-promotions which will help drive traffic to their stores.
The lottery official pointed to the successes achieved online in Michigan and Georgia:
“In the first full year of Internet lottery sales in Michigan, they had a 6 percent increase in traditional brick and mortar business. In the first full year of Internet lottery games in Georgia, they had a 4 percent increase in traditional brick and mortar business,” he said.
In Michigan more than 276,000 residents, about 2.5 percent of the population, have opened online lottery ticket accounts over the past two years.
“The key here is that overall sales increased at retail once Internet sales were launched in these two states, and we expect this to hold true in Kentucky,” Gleason said.
Turning to responsible gambling, Gleason claimed that the new online sales platform was designed with a number of controls in place to protect players.
“Our system was designed to follow the Internet Responsible Gambling Standards developed by the National Council on Problem Gambling. Our limits are among some of the most conservative in the nation, and continue our long history of offering games in the Commonwealth in the most socially-responsible manner available,” he said, noting that there are online deposit caps of $200 a day, $500 a week and $1,000 a month.
