The Massachusetts Lottery is expecting to amass record profits in 2016, although it sees its momentum flagging and is pressing to be allowed to employ more high-tech tactics, such as selling tickets online.
The legislature used lottery profits to return funds to municipalities, so it is invested in keeping the institution viable. Earlier this year Treasurer Deborah Goldberg introduce a bill that would allow the lottery to offer online games.
Her efforts are supported by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which says such legislation would help in regulating and tax existing online gaming sites. And it would burnish the state’s growing image as a technology pioneer.
Goldberg argues that lottery’s current profitability won’t last forever and has already peaked. It’s profits for the year just ending are expected to be $989.7 million, compared to $989.4 last year. The lottery has been competing with brick and mortar gaming ever since the Bay State’s first slots parlor, Plainridge Park, opened two years ago. It is projecting projects of $160 million for this year. Two new casino resorts, one near Boston and the other in Springfield, are in the last stages of construction.
