Lottery sales may be banned in Florida

A bill to forbid lottery ticket and game sales online will be discussed by a Florida lawmakers Subcommittee this week.

US.- Online lottery sales may soon be banned in Florida as a bill to forbid ticket and game sales online will be debated this week. House Bill 629 was introduced by Representative William Cloud Robinson and will be discussed by the Gaming Control Subcommittee on Wednesday.

HB 629 sets out plans to prevent consumers from playing games or purchasing lottery tickets through electronic devices and is aimed to limit sales to physical tickets only. It would target all smart phones, watches, tablets, computers and all devices with access to the internet.

The bill, which would be enforced from July 1, 2019 – should it ultimately be approved – also takes action in regards to problem gambling. It promotes measures to promote responsible gambling, including written warnings on advertising and promotional materials and lottery tickets themselves.

“Warning: playing a lottery game constitutes gambling and may lead to addiction and/or compulsive behaviour. The chances of winning a big prize are very low,” ads and tickets would read.