Massachusetts officials are moving forward with online lottery sales while lawmakers continue to debate whether to allow broader internet casino gambling. Treasurer Deb Goldberg, who chairs the state Lottery Commission, said she remains opposed to iGaming even as the Lottery prepares to sell tickets online.
Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken said the state is still targeting next summer for the iLottery launch, after earlier expectations pointed to late 2025. Goldberg said the delay carried financial consequences, particularly during the pandemic, when other states already had online lottery systems in place.
“I don’t want to tell you what iLotteries did during Covid – Michigan, New Hampshire – while we had nobody being able to leave their house. And can you imagine the amount that we would have generated then,” Goldberg said at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce event. “So, I would not like to see iGaming come.”
Online lottery plans and legislative debate
As the iLottery rollout approaches, lawmakers are weighing a bill filed in January by Rep. David Muradian Jr. that would authorize regulated iGaming with a 15% tax on gross gaming revenue. The proposal has attracted attention but has not advanced far, even as it ranks among the most viewed bills on the Legislature’s website.
Supporters say iGaming could mirror the revenue gains from online sports betting, which Massachusetts legalized in 2023. Nearby states such as Connecticut and Rhode Island already permit iGaming.
Bracken said the enabling law directs iLottery profits to early childhood education grants. Goldberg has long argued that allowing the Lottery to sell products online is necessary to protect the roughly $1 billion it sends to cities and towns each year, as competition from casinos, sports betting, and prediction markets grows.
The Lottery reported $1.067 billion in net profit in fiscal 2025 on $5.963 billion in revenue. Goldberg said the iLottery could generate about $70 million in profit during its first year, with projections climbing to $360 million annually after ten years.
Competing forecasts and broader concerns
Revenue expectations for iGaming differ sharply. DraftKings government affairs manager Rebecca London estimated Muradian’s bill could produce $170 million to $200 million a year for the state. Opponents cited research projecting declines in gaming and non-gaming taxes along with social costs totaling hundreds of millions annually.
“…The bottom line is yeah, they’ll pay tax dollars, great, but we go entirely back to the communities, and we go back to important, critical shortages, like the availability of child care, which directly impacts businesses, because we need people to fill jobs,” Goldberg said.
She also warned that iGaming operators could outspend the Lottery on advertising and promotions.
Opposition has also come from land-based operators, including Wynn Resorts, which said iGaming could threaten its 3,300-person workforce. Gov. Maura Healey echoed concerns about online gambling’s impact on younger residents.
“So I think it’s something that bears looking at,” Healey said, adding that policymakers nationwide should review emerging data.
Source:
“With iLottery in works, Treasurer Goldberg opposes iGaming”, finance.yahoo.com. December 10, 2025
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