LANSING, Mich. — The state lottery has selected companies that it will contract with to make it possible for lottery players to buy tickets online and using mobile devices.
Online ticket sales, or iLottery services, will begin in the last quarter of 2014, the Michigan State Lottery said in a release Tuesday.
While the various games the Lottery runs generated more than $778 million in 2012 for the state school fund, officials believe sales through the web and smartphones will generate an extra $480 million over the next eight years, the statement said. That figure is based on the experience of other states who have made the move to online sales.
The companies chosen, Pollard Bankinote and Neogames, provide lottery services from printing tickets to writing lottery software.
The announcement from the Michigan Lottery addressed several questions that immediately arise when you think about buying lottery tickets online or on your phone:
“Players will have to verify their age and identity
“Their play must take place within the state
“They will have a single account (“virtual wallet”) for their play
“The Lottery will set daily spending limits for all iLottery services
“Players may set lower spending limits for themselves
“Players also may choose to exclude themselves completely from iLottery services
“The Lottery will have strong mechanisms in place to maintain the security of players’ financial information and to protect their privacy.”
The Michigan State Lottery will now enter negotiations with the two providers for future services.
