Bill to Limit Online Lottery Sales Advances in Minnesota Senate

Legislators seek to do away with online scratch-off games, which launched last month.

March 25, 2014

ST. PAUL, MN – A bill to eliminate online sales of Minnesota Lottery tickets cleared the State and Local Government Committee last week, Pioneer Press reports.

The bill would do away with online scratch-off games, pulling back the expansion of lottery offerings from "beyond what was intended," said Sen. Rod Skoe, sponsor of the bill.

The Minnesota Lottery has been offering lotto-style games on the Internet for more than three years. Last month, it began offering online scratch-off games.

Critics of the expansion maintain that it allows players to get instant results and to play continuously from their home computers, which increases the chances for addictive gambling.

In response, Minnesota State Lottery executive director Ed Van Petten argued the 1989 law setting up the lottery authorized his agency to sell lottery tickets and to decide how that's to be done. He told committee members that the online program comes with spending limits to deter addictive behavior and that it would boost business at retail stores. He said halting the effort that took effect six weeks ago “is acting very prematurely … It’s just too early to tell at this point.”

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