Category: Sweepstakes and Lottery Law

June 4, 2018

Effective Sports Betting Regulation Must Cover Mobile and Online Betting, Too.

On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”), clearing the way for states to legalize sports gambling. In its wake, many states are now rushing to do just that. Currently fourteen states have legislation pending that would authorize some degree of sports wagering. An additional five… Read More

March 24, 2017

Nevermind About Internet Cafes…

Jacksonville attorney Kelly Mathis got some good news this week: State prosecutors have decided not to retry him on more than one hundred charges for gambling-related offenses. The State brought the charges against Mathis and fifty-six co-defendants in 2011, following a state-wide investigation of “internet cafes”—businesses that sell internet time to customers, who, with their… Read More

February 8, 2017

Is it a Lottery or is it Gambling? UK Regulator Slaps Lottoland for Misleading Radio Ad

Gambling, including online gaming, lotteries, and land-based gaming, has tremendous participation in the United Kingdom.  One study concluded that 75% of the UK’s adult population gambled in some manner.  UK regulators take an aggressive approach to licensing, supervision, and enforcement of gambling laws and regulations, including gaming-related advertising.  As more U.S. states permit online gaming,… Read More

January 14, 2016

Why Can’t I Buy A Powerball Ticket Online?

As a gaming lawyer, I get asked a lot of questions about what is legal and what is not legal. A lot of folks end conversations with me by scratching their heads and saying “that doesn’t make sense at all.”  The most recent head scratcher?  A lot of online sites recently offered to sell Powerball… Read More

May 21, 2015

Minnesota Phases Out State Lottery-Operated Online Games

Minnesota’s legislature recently passed a bill that bars the Minnesota Lottery from offering online games, following a four month transition period. Specifically, the new law bans the lottery director from offering “the play of, on an electronic terminal, through a Web site, or by any other means or device, casino-style games, including but not limited… Read More

December 23, 2014

The Current State of Online Lottery Sales and the Outlook for 2015

As states continue to search for ways to generate additional revenue, several states have explored the possibility of selling lottery tickets online.  Online lottery ticket sales represent an untapped market for state lotteries that could see rapid expansion in the next several years and it also looks to be a hot issue in several state… Read More

July 31, 2014

Kentucky Becomes Latest State to Move Toward Online Lottery Ticket Sales

  Earlier this month, the Kentucky Lottery Corporation (“KLC”) presented state lawmakers with a timeline for the launching of an online lottery ticket sales platform by the middle of 2015.  The KLC’s plan is to launch multi-state drawing games such as Powerball first and then launch other lottery products in the following months.  Online lottery… Read More

July 1, 2014

Florida’s Sweepstakes Law Takes Aim at Dubious Sweepstakes Run by Non-Profits – Legislative Fix Has Broad, Unintended Consequences

  Florida continues to lead the fight against illegal gambling in Internet cafes.  In 2013, state and federal agents arrested dozens of individuals associated with Internet sweepstakes cafes operated by the “Allied Veterans of the World & Affiliates,” a purported charitable group.  These Internet cafes operated under a potential legal loophole.  Patrons were supposedly buying… Read More