Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
Read Full BioThe Massachusetts State Lottery Commission (MSLC) has awarded Aristocrat Interactive the contract to build and operate the state’s iLottery platform. The deal, announced August 26, will run for an initial five years beginning July 1, 2026, with three potential three-year extensions.
Aristocrat will provide a complete digital lottery solution, including:
- eInstants
- Draw games like the Powerball and Mega Millions
- Player account management
- Content aggregation system for third-party game content
Aristocrat will also support MSLC with support in marketing, customer service, compliance, and responsible gaming features. In a press release, Mark William Bracken, the MSLC Executive Director, said:
“The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission is taking a significant step forward in modernizing our operations with a world-class iLottery program to complement our industry-renowned retail program.”
“After a comprehensive and competitive process, Aristocrat Interactive demonstrated the best value for the Commonwealth. Partnering with Aristocrat Interactive provides us with a proven, successful platform that will allow the Lottery to fulfill its mission of maximizing funding for early childhood education and care that will benefit families throughout the Commonwealth.”
At the same time, Aristocrat CEO Moti Malul emphasized the opportunity to pair innovative, responsible online play with community benefits.
Approved in 2024, the Massachusetts iLottery was initially targeted for a fall 2025 launch but was delayed to spring 2026 due to funding constraints. It will now officially launch on July 1, 2026.
How Does the National iLottery Map Look?
With this move, Massachusetts joins a growing number of U.S. jurisdictions where online lottery sales are live:
- Connecticut (draw only)
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Maine (draw only)
- Maryland (draw only)
- Michigan
- Kansas
- New Hampshire
- New York* (draw only)
- North Carolina
- North Dakota (draw only)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (eInstants only)
- Virginia
- Washington D.C.
- West Virginia
*by subscription only
While momentum built in 2023 and 2024, this year saw only Kansas going live with iLottery.
In June, the Oklahoma Lottery Commission issued a Request for Proposal, seeking vendors to provide digital services that will enhance the lottery’s loyalty program, improve ticket verification, and enhance the app. The move suggests that the Commission is preparing itself to be ready in case lawmakers pass a bill to authorize it.
Meanwhile, in August 2023, the New Jersey Lottery Commission approved the online sale of lottery draw tickets. The Commission had targeted a fall 2024 launch but faced opposition from lawmakers, including a bill that aimed to ban iLottery. While the bill died, there is no indication whether New Jersey will launch an online lottery.
In Texas, lawmakers moved in the opposite direction. A newly enacted law, which will dissolve the Texas Lottery Commission, also bans online lottery sales and puts a limit on the number of tickets an individual can purchase. The law was a direct result of a scandal surrounding two jackpots won through the lottery courier Jackpocket.
Massachusetts Also Considering Online Casinos
Online lottery may not be the only gambling expansion in Massachusetts. Lawmakers are also weighing whether to authorize online casinos. There are multiple proposals on the table. Two companion bills, House Bill 332 and Senate Bill 235, received a joint committee hearing in June.
The bills propose 10 online casino licenses. Six will be tethered (two skins for each of the three state casinos), while the rest will be untethered without a tie to land-based property. The proposals call for a 20% tax on gross gaming revenue, as well as $5 million in initial and renewal fees.
Additionally, in August, a bill by Rep. David K. Muradian, Jr, was referred to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. The proposal calls for legalizing online casinos while banning sweepstakes casino platforms simultaneously.
Muradian’s bill calls for three skins per retail casino, meaning up to nine online casinos. The tax rate and licensing fees are also lower than those in the companion bills.
The nine platforms would have to pay a 15% tax. The initial and renewal fees are $100,000 for licensees, $50,000 for each skin, and $15,000 for suppliers.
The June committee did not vote on the companion bills, and there are no indications on when or if that will be done. There’s no hearing date set for Muradian’s bill yet.
For now, Massachusetts is poised to make its digital lottery debut in 2026 — with online casinos waiting in the wings if lawmakers decide to deal that hand.
