When Massachusetts Expects to Launch Online Lottery

Online access to the Massachusetts Lottery has been delayed, and state officials say it probably won’t happen until the second quarter of 2026.

State Treasurer Deb Goldberg, who chairs the Massachusetts Lottery Commission, told a recent meeting of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, “So, initially, we were feeling it was going to be about 16 months, and it’s probably going to take a little bit longer.”

Various media reports indicate that online lottery sales will likely occur in April of 2026, about five months later than originally planned.

State House News Service reported Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken told the meeting, “I’ll be back next year to tell you whether that’s fully accurate,” to which Goldberg reportedly replied, “It better be, Mark.”

Online Lottery access was made legal in the Commonwealth in July of 2024. Lottery officials had hoped to have it operational by the end of the 2025 calendar year.

The delay involves funding. The online system cannot be designed and implemented without money.

Director Bracken told MassLive, “Unfortunately, we have not received funding yet to do anything with online Lottery.”

“We’re waiting for the House and Senate to take that fiscal year 2024 close-out budget … once we get that $2.5 million, that’s really when the 16-month clock starts ticking,” Bracken said.

Once the system is operational, Massachusetts residents can buy Lottery products from their phones or computers.

State House News Service reported that “Goldberg and Lottery officials have warned for years that the roughly $1 billion that the Lottery produces for local aid each year could be in jeopardy unless lawmakers allowed the agency to sell its products on the internet.”