The month of September is Responsible Gaming Education Month.
As iLottery expands to more areas in the coming year, awareness of responsible gaming is as important as ever.
The Michigan Lottery is doing its part to provide necessary information and options to protect its players.
With over 10 years of online experience, Michigan has made RG a priority for its website and mobile app.
New Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli addressed the matter in a press release sent to PlayiLottery:
“The (Michigan) Lottery is committed to encouraging Michiganders to enjoy our games responsibly. We offer a variety of tools and resources to help keep online play fun and safe, and Lottery retailers have access to information on responsible gaming that can be shared with those who purchase Lottery products. Most importantly, free, and confidential resources are available to anyone who feels they have a gambling problem by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.”
How Michigan Lottery addresses responsible gaming
Ahead of Responsible Gaming Education Month, the Michigan Lottery addressed how it handles RG through its retail and online products.
Each year, the Michigan Lottery provides $1 million to the compulsive gaming prevention fund.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services utilizes that fund to help provide statewide education and treatment programs for problem gambling.
Michigan heavily promotes the 1-800-GAMBLER line at retail locations and through advertisements. A switch to the toll-free hotline was made in July.
When it comes to online services, the Michigan Lottery offers several options to safeguard against problem gambling:
- A variety of self-exclusion periods
- Daily and weekly deposit limits
- Daily loss limits
- A variety of cool-off periods
- Age verification at account registration
- Play history to monitor gaming activity
MI Lottery first with iCAP certification
Michigan is coming off its 10th anniversary of online lottery sales.
Thus far, iLottery has generated over 1.1 million different players within the state.
In 2015, the Michigan Lottery became the first US lottery to receive Internet Compliance Assessment Program (iCAP) certification. This comes from the National Council on Problem Gambling, which recognizes commitment to responsible online gaming.
Michigan also has RG Verification from the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, as well as the NCPG.
Player Relations Manager of the Michigan Lottery, Jake Harris, told PlayiLottery in July the importance of these certifications:
“We were the first lottery to achieve that iCAP certification back in 2015. I think, goes to show our commitment to responsible gaming. We have a very strong responsible gaming program, and a lot of great tools online for those players to utilize. We have a lot of tools and options that are available for players to utilize to make sure that they are enjoying the games, but doing so responsibly. That’s really the cornerstone of the iLottery program.”
Michigan shifting to new iLottery partner
Recently, the Michigan Lottery announced it will be working with a new online partner starting in July 2026.
Michigan has been working with Pollard Banknote for more than 25 years and will continue to do so when it comes to retail tickets.
However, starting in the summer of 2026, the Michigan online lottery will be using a new supplier for iLottery games. Michigan has not named the replacement company.
The Pollard Banknote connection has been fruitful for both parties. Pollard Banknote has a manufacturing plant in Ypsilanti that produces around 7 billion instant tickets for US and global lotteries.
Regardless of whoever is chosen to replace Pollard, Michigan will remain committed to its online RG standards.
Photo by MIND AND I via Shutterstock
Graphic from the Michigan Lottery
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