NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Massachusetts voters are overwhelmingly against expanding the Massachusetts Lottery to the internet. While the internet puts the world at your fingertips, Massachusetts voters agree the state lottery shouldn’t be accessed that easily.
The Save Our Neighborhood Coalition found 80% of those polled are against creating online lottery games, saying too much could go wrong. Problems they cite include minors possibly gambling illegally, banking information being stolen, and gambling addictions becoming worse.
Sheree Bloomberg of Montague agrees these problems would quickly arise of the state lottery expanded online. “You don’t have to drive anywhere so you could be drinking some night and end up spending way more money than you think,” says Bloomberg.
Ninety percent oppose allowing people to pay for online lottery games with credit cards or electronic transfers. Between ticket sales, the Plainridge casino, and casinos to come like MGM Springfield, the majority of respondents say the Massachusetts gambling system is already over saturated.
The coalition said online gambling could threaten more than 7,500 local businesses that serve as lottery outlets. If gambling could be done at home, fewer people would be supporting these stores.
“I think it makes it too easy for people to gamble,” says Joel Rosen of Florence, “and I think it’ll cause more havoc in this society than benefits.”
The Retailers Association of Massachusetts said our state has the most successful lottery in the country, but scratch-ticket sales showed a year-over-year decline in December.