Kentucky moves towards interactive lottery action

Politicians in the state of Kentucky, at one time among the most aggressive anti-online gambling states in the union, are taking a more positive tack when it comes to interactive lottery action.

This week the state issued a Request for Proposals on its plans to introduce an online lottery system under the auspices of the Kentucky Lottery Corporation, which wants to boost sales.

The initiative has the support of state lawmakers, who were given details of the plan earlier this year and a timeline that includes seeking provider bids this summer and the selection of a technology partner by the fall of 2014.

The KLC hopes to have multi-state draw games like Powerball available to buyers online by mid-2015, with more internet lottery products coming on stream later.

Predictably there are already signs of resistance from retail convenience store owners worried that online services will cut down on punters coming into their shops to buy lottery tickets and other goods.

There have also been rumblings from the state’s powerful horseracing industry, which appears to regard the lottery as a competitor.