Ohio state lottery seeks to launch online gaming

The Ohio state lottery is planning to launch an online and mobile gaming offering within the next twelve months.

US.- Eight states in the US already offer online lottery products and the Ohio state lottery seeks to be the ninth. The state is moving to launch an online and mobile gaming offering within the next year.

“By allowing additional methods of purchasing existing content, the lottery can keep up with the way people have become accustomed to buying everything from music and books to their groceries,” Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald told state lawmakers.

“There are certainly some concerns about moving toward a mobile application,” said Alex Boehnke, a lobbyist for the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants. “But we’ll really have to dig down into the fine details of any proposal before we take a position.”

Ohio lottery officials hope profits will expand by US$100 million annually once the program has been approved and running for five years. However, early estimates say it will be close to US$45 million during its first few years.