If Lotto.com ticket sales become a widespread phenomenon throughout the United States, it will be another gambling innovation that New Jersey is responsible for. New Jerseyans now have access to the lottery courier service.
For New Jersey Lottery players the service means a new way to buy tickets and redeem them for prizes. Though the concept might be new for some Garden Staters, it’s quite simple.
How Lotto.com ticket sales work
Lotto.com’s system isn’t really proprietary or unique, though it is rare. It is just the second courier service certified by the New Jersey Lottery.
Essentially, the platform converts physical lottery tickets into digital tickets on customers’ behalf. Another company that offers a similar service is Jackpocket, which was the first courier service to launch with the NJ Lottery’s blessings in December 2019. However, there are a few differences between Jackpocket and Lotto.com.
The first is that Jackpocket runs on a mobile app, while Lotto.com is a web-based platform. There’s no need to download an app to use Lotto.com.
Additionally, Lotto.com does not require users to deposit funds beforehand in order to make a purchase. Instead, Lotto.com customers pay for their purchases, with a service fee, as they go.
In NJ, Lotto.com has partnered with QuickChek, the state’s leading lottery retailer. When you place an order from Lotto.com, the website’s staff will fulfill your order at one of QuickChek’s locations.
Then, the personnel will create digital scans of your tickets. Buyers can check their numbers using the website and if the tickets turn out to be winners, arrange for delivery.
Upon receipt, the process for claiming prizes attached to the tickets is the same as if the players had bought the tickets in person themselves. It might not be long before New Jerseyans aren’t the only ones who can use the service.
NJ could be just the start
A press release says that Lotto.com has plans to expand nationally. That will partially depend on legal/regulatory approval.
New York seems a natural second market, as the New York Lottery has approved Jackpocket as a courier. In states that only allow retail sales, there’s a little bit of legal maneuvering that might be necessary.
Technically, all sales will happen in person. However, it’s the third-party aspect of this service that might conflict with some states’ laws.
To the extent that Lotto.com can navigate those issues in any state where they might come up, the product has a future. That journey, to whatever extent it runs, is beginning in NJ.
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