States explore selling lottery tickets online

[The Buzz]

Last week's announcement from the Department of Justice about the Wire Act didn't just apply to online poker. In fact, in the near term, it will have a greater effect on lottery sales. Two states that are exploring the idea of offering lottery tickets online are California and Illinois.

First, California (from the LA Times):

Officials at the California State Lottery said they will explore selling tickets over the Internet after the Justice Department determined that such sales would not violate federal law.

"It does open up a major potential channel for lottery sales in California, but right now it's just a potential channel," Robert O'Neill, who was named last week to head the state lottery, said Tuesday.

State lottery officials will review the Justice Department's legal opinion, which allows states to sell lottery tickets over the Internet and possibly to offer poker and other types of online gambling. The opinion clarified that a 40-year-old law, known as the Federal Wire Act, applies only to sports betting, not to other online gambling that states may permit.

And Illinois, via the Chicago Tribune:

Gov. Pat Quinn hopes the state lottery will start letting Illinois residents buy tickets online by spring, after a U.S. Justice Department ruling that the Internet sales are legal.

The governor expressed his support for the long-stalled plan Tuesday, saying he expects ticket sales to increase once Web-based purchasing is in place.

"Within the first quarter of this year, I hope we can begin the process for those who wish to use the Internet to purchase a lottery ticket," Quinn said after joining Jewish leaders to light the state menorah at the Thompson Center on the last day of Hanukkah.

[usaonlinecasino]

I know the tickets for California Super Lotto are sold online before although I don't how long it has gone online.

[Anthony]

And so it begins...