Massachusetts Legislation Levels Competitive Playing Field for Lottery Sales

BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed new legislation into law that helps level the lottery playing field between brick-and-mortar stores and online. 

The legislation legalized a new online lottery, iLottery, and includes several key protections advocated for by the convenience store industry to protect brick-and-mortar businesses and create a competitive landscape when the new system is rolled out, according to the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA).

“Through our hard work and advocacy, we are proud to see that many key protections for our store operators were included in the new legislation passed this week by the legislature,” said Peter Brennan, executive director of NECSEMA. “Simply moving the state lottery online without any consideration for the impact on local store owners would have been catastrophic. We are grateful that the legislature included these vital protections to help our store owners remain competitive in the face of evolving technologies.”