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Virginia Lottery Goes Online
Virginia Lottery Goes Online
The Virginia state lottery has dumped its daily televised drawings in favor of internet drawings in an attempt to cut costs and move into the 21st century. The Virginia lottery finally realized that most lottery players now check their numbers online. In January the Virginia lottery started internet only video streams for its daily drawings and its popular twice-a-week Win for Life drawings. Lottery officials expect the move online to save more than $1 million dollars in operating costs during the next fiscal year. Virginia is trying to deal with a $4 billion budget deficit. While the move online is primarily a cost cutting measure the lottery recognizes that most players now rely on online sources for lottery information. Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto stated, “The Internet is actually a more popular way of people getting their numbers now.”
Lottery officials report they have received a few complaints about the new policy, mostly from older people with no internet access or computer skills. An informal survey done by the Virginia lottery revealed that most states now use a combination of televised drawings and online feeds for drawings and most state lotteries also have lottery phone hot lines and email alerts for players to check lotto numbers. The executive director of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries said that most state lotteries are looking for ways to cut costs and operating expenses. Executive director David Gale stated, “State budgets are a mess. Forget about lottery budgets because they’re probably holding their own to tell you the truth.” Most states use lottery revenues for education, senior citizens, wildlife and tourism. Council of State Governments fiscal analyst Sujit CanagaRetna says he is not surprised by Virginia’s move. CanagaRetna stated, “States are looking at every possible way to corral some dollars together just to improve their bottom line. If you do a whole bunch of these little things, it could potentially add up to something significant.”
Lottery players, especially younger players, depend on the internet for information and are rapidly shifting to web based programming. The shift to online technology could mean that online lottery tickets may be the norm in the very near future. Illinois and Iowa are exploring the sale of online lottery tickets. At the present time Federal law prevents the purchase of lottery tickets online but that is expected to change soon. Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank has sponsored a bill that would clear the way for the sale of online lottery tickets. Its about time lotteries embraced 21st century technology!
Online Lottery Tickets
Online lottery tickets are very popular in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Lotteries reported a noticeable increase in ticket sales with the implementation of online ticket sales. The UK National Lottery website is probably one of the best examples of online lottery ticket sales. UK lottery players can play all the games offered by the National Lottery and EuroMillions. Other big money lottery games available online include Lotto, Thunderball, LottoHotPicks, DreamNumber and Daily Play. In addition players can also purchase online lottery tickets for several instant win games. The UK lottery is operated by Camelot which designs the games, provides marketing support and maintains the lottery website. Lottery players in the UK appreciate the convenience of online lottery tickets and players need only to log on to the official website and fund an account using major credit cards or debit cards. For those interested in forming a lottery syndicate the UK national lottery website provides a complete kit with instructions for forming a lottery syndicate.
New Zealand is another country that has moved its lottery games into the 21st century. Winners can have their funds directly deposited into personal bank accounts. In the US two states are currently exploring the possibility of offering online lottery tickets; Iowa and Illinois. Federal regulations regarding online gaming have hindered efforts to implement online lottery ticket sales in the US. In 2009 several lottery related transactions were declined by some banks due to vague federal regulations highlighting the need to clarify regulations regarding lottery related transactions. If Iowa and Illinois are successful in providing online lottery tickets most states are expected to follow their example. Industry experts have said time and time again that online lottery ticket sales will boost flagging ticket sales. Since the technology is already in place it should be easy for states to provide online lottery ticket sales as soon as federal regulations are adjusted to accommodate online lottery ticket sales.
US lottery players can still purchase online lottery tickets at several websites. Online lottery tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions and most state lotteries can be purchased with major credit cards, debit cards, and online payment services such as EwalletXpress. Many lottery websites sell tickets for foreign lotteries such as EuroMillions, Italys Ena Lottery, Spains ElGordo lottery and many others. Once the federal regulations are lifted online lottery ticket sales are expected to skyrocket. Most industry experts say that in the very near future most lottery ticket purchases will be made online.