Massachusetts Lottery

The Massachusetts Lottery is once again expanding, offering a new $50 dollar scratch ticket. Members of the House and Governor Healey have also backed a proposed FY24 budget provision creating an online lottery, or iLottery. While these measures are predicted to boost the state's revenue and ability to provide local aid, state legislators should ask themselves whether these new changes represent sound public policy and align with other policies goals.

The Massachusetts lottery made $5.9 billion in 2021, making it the fourth-highest source of revenue for the state. This confirms a long-standing trend: that Massachusettans love to play the lottery.

Last month, State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg announced a renewed push for online lottery games, hoping to pass a bill in the upcoming legislative session.  The merits of an online lottery are worth considering, but what’s interesting about the Treasurer’s latest statement is...

In 2015, Massachusetts State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg called for a $2 million boost in the State Lottery’s advertising budget. According to Treasurer Goldberg, the additional money is needed to counter the competitive threat posed by the state’s growing casino industry. The Lottery’s...

Last week, the Massachusetts Lottery triumphantly announced that, for the fifth straight year, it set a new record for annual revenue and profit. But the details of its financials paint a different picture. For fiscal year 2016, the Lottery generated sales of...