As state legislators work to pass a budget by the end of June, a federal ruling over lottery money could mean that the state will lose millions of dollars in funding. The U.S. Department of Justice in November reversed a 2011 legal opinion that said only interstate sports betting is in violation of the federal wire act, which now means online lottery sales are illegal.  New Hampshire officials said the move could cost the state millions of dollars in school funding.

“Consistent with INTRALOT’s strategy of disinvesting from its non-core markets and focusing on the group’s strategic markets, such as the USA, we are very glad we can safeguard Totolotek’s continued growth within the strong Gauselmann Group and its European-market-focused sports-betting division Merkur Sportwetten. In my view, this transaction will create value for all involved parties – Gauselmann, Totolotek and INTRALOT – which was fundamentally important from INTRALOT’s point of view when deciding to proceed with this transaction,” explains Andreas Chryssos, CFO of INTRALOT Group, summing up the acquisition of Totolotek by Merkur Sportwetten.

Read a copy of the letter here

Attorneys from the US Department of Justice [DOJ] have filed a lengthy memorandum in support of their motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the State of New Hampshire and its lottery entities

The National Lottery said any impact on sales would result in a reduction in the contribution to good causes, noting that almost 30 cent in every euro spent on National Lottery games goes back to good causes all over Ireland. More than €227 million was raised last year alone, or over €620,000 a day, it said. “Unlike the National Lottery, the offshore operators are not regulated. Their products require no approvals and they do not have the same strict responsible play and sales codes of practices that the National Lottery have,” a spokesman said.

"As we continue this discussion about other types of pathways for gambling, particularly sports betting if the commonwealth does go in that direction and if it particularly offers an online or mobile aspect to the sports betting, I think it would be fair for the Lottery, as well as fair to our casino partners, that those new providers have a similar requirement," Mass. Lottery Executive Director Michael Sweeney said.

"There are a couple clear indicators for this increase," said the Lottery's President and CEO Tom Delacenserie. "The October Mega Millions jackpot run really helped sales. We've sold $48.4 million in that game, which is 94.7% more than last year and 64.5% more than budgeted sales. We've also seen huge gains in our Scratch-off tickets, which are $32.3 million (8.3%) more than last year and $12.2 million (3%) ahead of budget."

"IGT's INTELLIGEN system has helped the Kansas Lottery meet the objectives of operating our electronic gaming machines with the highest standards of integrity and security to benefit the state for the last 10 years," said Stephen Durrell, Kansas Lottery Acting Executive Director "We look forward to continuing our relationship over the next few years."

“We are thrilled to partner with the Atlanta United to offer our players this exciting game,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said. “Each ticket purchased provides Georgia Lottery players a special opportunity to cheer on The Five Stripes and also invest in Georgia’s students. As with all of our games, proceeds generated will benefit HOPE and Pre-K.”

A bill aimed at prohibiting online lottery ticket sales could have an unintended side effect. According to the Revenue Estimating Conference, a provision in Bradenton Rep. Will Robinson’s HB 629could reduce the Florida Lottery’s annual deposits into the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund by up to $235 million a year.