California Moves Towards Selling Lottery Tickets Online

Californian state lottery officials say they intend to explore the possibility of selling lottery tickets online.

California could soon be the latest state to sell state lottery tickets online in what would be a major boost for the online gaming market.

Following the Department of Justice's ruling that online lottery sales would not violate federal law or gambling regulations, the State lottery announced it will research the possibility of introducing online ticket sales.

The State Lottery head, Robert O'Neill, said “The Internet has opened up as major potential channel for selling of lotteries, but at present this is only a potential channel”.

The Department of Justice ruled that the Federal Wire Act 1961 only applies to sports betting and not any other forms of online gaming.

This ruling could also open up the possibility of online poker and other games in the US. For the moment, however, O'Neill said, “Internet poker is entirely a separate discussion.”

The Wire Act clarification is expected to trigger moves into the online market by many states in the coming years.