Massachusetts Lottery Director ‘Excited’ To Have Couriers Operating In The State

Image showing a package being delivered with a Massachusetts Lottery log on the box representing courier services in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Lottery is making its way down the long road toward online sales.

Even though expectations are for the state-run iLottery in 2026, Massachusetts isn’t completely without an online option in the meantime.

In fact, lottery courier services are prominent in Massachusetts.

Though the relationship between couriers and state lotteries can be contentious in some locations, officials in Massachusetts believe these third-party options are beneficial to the state.

Bracken sees appeal of lottery couriers

One proponent of couriers in Massachusetts is Lottery Director Mark William Bracken.

He recently did an interview with La Fleur’s, where couriers were a topic.

Bracken said the couriers the state has to offer – Jackpocket, Jackpot.com and Lotto.com – have a good relationship with the state lottery.

“I definitely think there’s a space for couriers in the lottery industry. Every state handles them differently—some have laws against them, while others regulate them. We fall somewhere in the middle. We treat them like any other agent partner. We don’t regulate them directly, but we do have conversations about the dos and don’ts. We’re excited to have them in this space.”

Without an official online lottery currently, the couriers provide a means that Bracken can’t provide at the moment.

Though the state has paved the way for iLottery, which will now come in the spring of 2026, couriers bring in new customers through their ability to sell retail lottery tickets through an online platform, as Bracken noted:

“In a way, couriers are like the Uber Eats of lottery tickets. Just as with food delivery apps, people have options. You can either go directly to the restaurant or use a service like DoorDash or Uber Eats for the convenience of tracking your delivery. Some people prefer to have everything centralized on one app, while others might opt to buy directly from the lottery to avoid fees. It’s going to depend on individual preferences, and it may even vary by age demographic.”

Digital scratch tickets now available in Massachusetts

Couriers have mostly focused on supplying draw tickets in the states they operate.

However, the movement to add digital scratch tickets in more markets is picking up steam.

Jackpocket and Lotto.com were the first couriers to offer the services. Last week, Jackpot.com announced it was beginning the sale of digital scratch tickets. It is starting in three states, which includes Massachusetts.

Bracken commented on the new courier product, welcoming it to the state:

“They’ll soon start selling instant tickets through courier services, which is new for us. We’ve only allowed draw games up to this point because we wanted to ensure there were no complaints or issues. Now that we’ve reached a level of comfort with the couriers, we’re ready to move forward with instant tickets as well. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes, but ultimately, it’s on them to provide a good product. They charge a fee for their service, while we don’t, so they’ll need to make sure the convenience is worth it for their customers.”

Getting into scratch sales is a big step for couriers. The companies were responsible for less than 1% of overall lottery sales in the US in 2023. However, scratch tickets make up 76.6% of the lottery sales in the country. That business had over $108 billion in purchases last year.

 

Photo by PlayiLottery
Graphic from the Massachusetts Lottery

About the Author

Drew Ellis

Drew Ellis

Lead Writer
A member of Catena Media since 2020, Drew Ellis is the Lead Writer at PlayiLottery, where he handles coverage of the online lottery industry in the US. He previously spearheaded news content at PlayMichigan, where he covered one of the most prominent online lottery industries in the US — among the many other aspects of Michigan's sprawling iGaming market. You can email him at [email protected].
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