Mass Lottery Wants To Test Free-Play Online Poker

[Sanlmar]

Just noticed this news.
Mass Lottery just wants to sharpen their knives in case the poker weather turns favorable.

Such a ++ strategy for so many reasons. Obv. refine platform & software. Hook customers and remove barriers via play money. Harmless, first phase with legislature.

For now, just a heartwarming human interest story like a cat being rescued from a tree.

Massachusetts Lottery Wants To Test Free-Play Online Poker
Doing So Would Require Authorization From Legislature
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news...y-online-poker

On Tuesday, lottery officials in the state of Massachusetts reportedly asked lawmakers to say OK to it testing the viability of offering Internet gambling.

Massachusetts is in the middle of figuring out who should be able to build new Las Vegas-style casinos in the state, one in three geographical regions.

“We are not proposing to offer these games to our players with an actual cash transaction, nor are we seeking any appropriation to fund such operations,” Lottery Assistant Executive Director Beth Bresnahan told the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, according to reporting from State House News Service.

“Rather, in the interests of preserving and protecting the Lottery, we simply want to ensure that we have a solid understanding of the technology and logistics of online gaming should this market space become more competitive. Existing law does not permit us to conduct such experimentation.”

In other words, free-play games would need to be legalized for the lottery.

Late last year, the state’s top gaming regulator said the following with regards to real-money online gambling in the state: “We also have taken the position that Massachusetts shouldn’t do anything in online gambling until our bricks-and-mortar people are selected because they ought to be at the table when we do this. You can’t expect somebody to give us $85 million and then spend a billion to build a facility and change the rules of the game on them a year or two down the road.” Online poker in Massachusetts is likely years away.

[BeerAndPoker]

Agreed!

If the Lottery is able to acquire a license or even become the only one then this is definitely great strategy on their part. They will have the platform and clientele if real money legalization occurs which will be several steps ahead of the competition if others are able to get involved.

[Steve-O]

Mass has been looking into this for a couple years. This isn't preemptive for federal legislation, they are looking into being an intrastate provider at the current time.

Basically, our Treasurer Steve Grossman only wants online gambling if it's run through the lottery. The idea is that you deposit through licensed lottery locations in person or online which removes any possibility that state lottery sales would take a hit.

It would probably play out something along the lines of Delaware, with companies bidding on being the provider.

[Sanlmar]

Was thinking about the story a little bit.

The whole lottery system as it exists in Mass, and most other states for that matter, must be the most expensive model imaginable.

Think about the scratch tickets that everyone appears to love. They must be expensive to print - glossy, multicolor, with expensive stock. Distribution to convenience store. Accounting & inventory management, etc. etc.

Do people really care about the pretty scratch tickets? Is the reason I am waiting in line so long that they are admiring the artwork?

Just gonna take a wild guess that people just wanna get their gamble on.

Online lottery - poker and otherwise is the natural progression or augmentation to the current model.

gg

[Steve-O]

Was thinking about the story a little bit.

The whole lottery system as it exists in Mass, and most other states for that matter, must be the most expensive model imaginable.

Think about the scratch tickets that everyone appears to love. They must be expensive to print - glossy, multicolor, with expensive stock. Distribution to convenience store. Accounting & inventory management, etc. etc.

Do people really care about the pretty scratch tickets? Is the reason I am waiting in line so long that they are admiring the artwork?

Just gonna take a wild guess that people just wanna get their gamble on.

Online lottery - poker and otherwise is the natural progression or augmentation to the current model.

gg

They only pay something like $.60 on the dollar and all major wins are taxed. I'm pretty sure the states make a fortune on lottery scratch tickets