Massachusetts Lottery goes online, debuts new games. Here's how it works.
The Massachusetts State Lottery is now online.
State Treasurer Deb Goldberg announced Monday that "Mass Lottery Online" has launched for lottery players 21 and older. She said profits from digital lottery sales will go toward grants for early childhood education and care.
"Online lottery will allow us to compete on a more level playing field in the state's gaming marketplace and sales will help make childcare more affordable for families across Massachusetts," Goldberg said in a statement.
Mass Lottery Online
Players can buy scratch tickets online, as well as other popular draw-based games like Powerball and Mega Millions.
There are also more than 20 slot machine-style "einstant games" on the app. Players can bet between 50 cents and $50 per play.
"Most eInstant games are digital games featuring cascading or tumbling symbols that result in instant winning experiences when a cluster of symbols match," the Lottery explains.
There are also two new online-only draw games called "Mass 3 with Wicked Bonus" and "Mass 4 with Wicked Bonus" with top prizes of $500 and $5,000, respectively. The games are similar to the Numbers Game with a daily drawing at 10 p.m.
The Lottery plans to add new online games later this year, including virtual horse racing. Traditional Keno will continue to be a retail-only game.
Signing up for Mass Lottery Online
Players must be in Massachusetts to sign up and play the lottery online.
Signing up for a Mass Lottery player account requires entering your full Social Security number, name, date of birth and address.
Players cannot use a credit card to play Lottery games online. Only debit cards, online banking, ACH - Bank Transfer, PayPal and Apple Pay are accepted.
Any prize of $50,000 or more won online has to be claimed in person at Lottery headquarters in Dorchester.
The Lottery says it will "promote responsible play" by letting users know they can set limits on how much they spend. There will also be pop-up notices every 30 minutes so people are aware of how long they've been playing.
Players can also self-exclude themselves from the online lottery, or set a "cool-off period" that prevents them from betting for up to six months.
