While the federal government fails to make up its mind over online gambling legislation, individual states are moving forward with plans to legalize online gambling on step at a time. Following in the footsteps of Illinois, which recently launched online lottery sales, is Maryland.
The state has decided to move forward with its plans to offer lottery tickets online. Presented by the Maryland State Lottery Commission, the new program allows players from across the state to purchase lottery tickets, scratch cards and play games of chance like keno. This is a departure from the former system, which saw players heading to convenience stores to pick up their tickets.
“It is a way to attract younger players not playing the Lottery and increase our playership,” says Stephen Martino of the Lottery Commission.
Currently, less than 50% of the state’s population plays the lottery. Of that percentage, most of the players are older than 45-years-old. So, the goal of launching online lottery sales is to the make the activity more accessible and attractive to younger people in Maryland.
Maryland is the second state in America to launch online lottery sales. It is likely that this move will inspire other states to follow suit.
