The National Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing (NACS) in the United States has made no secret of its anti-internet lottery position in the past (see previous reports) and has reiterated its support for the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, a federal proposal that seeks to prevent state lotteries from making their own decisions regarding online lottery activity.
In a statement on its website this week, NACS says that diverting lottery sales traffic to the Internet would “…significantly affect the profitability of convenience retailers. The average customer who comes to buy a lottery ticket spends $10.35 in the store, compared to $6.29 for non-lottery customers.”
The trade body appears to be hoping that US state lotteries’ interest in internet sales and games to enhance the betting experience and access the millennial demographic will retreat in the face of federal legislation.
Interestingly, the statement includes information on a study conducted in Virginia (it does identify the researcher, date or title) which it claims found that the state could bring in $3.5 million in profits from online lottery operations alone, or $6.4 million to $102 million through full online gaming in the first operating year.