Watch CBS News

Gov. Wolf Seeks Approval For Online Lottery Games

HARRISBURG (News Radio 1020 KDKA) - As state lawmakers continue to weigh online casino gaming, the Wolf administration is now seeking approval to put lottery games on the internet.

During state House budget hearings Tuesday, the Director of the Lottery, Drew Svitko, told lawmakers about how what he calls "iLottery" would work.

"What we're not talking about is just selling our existing product online…as much as we're talking about selling a new type of product…an interactive, engaging, more relevant product to a different audience," said Svitko. "We have no reason – and we would never want to do something that would compete with our existing retailers."

While overall lottery sales are down only slightly this fiscal year, Svitko says the once robust Mega Millions and Powerball games are victims of their success.

Svitko claims those games are suffering from what he calls jackpot fatigue - with massive jackpots like last year's $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot raising expectations of players.

Follow News Radio 1020 KDKA on Facebook
Follow News Radio 1020 KDKA on Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.