Current:Home > ScamsNorth Carolina lottery expands online game offerings through ‘digital instants’-LoTradeCoin
North Carolina lottery expands online game offerings through ‘digital instants’
View Date:2024-12-24 09:12:54
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s lottery has expanded its offering of online games, which officials project could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenues to the state-run operation in the coming years.
The North Carolina Education Lottery launched a set of “digital instant” games Wednesday, news outlets reported. The state lottery commission approved offering the games, which are considered the electronic equivalent of scratch-off tickets on computers or mobile devices, in August.
Eight versions of the games are being promoted by the commission. They require players to create accounts, provide identifying information and deposit funds to purchase tickets that begin at 50 cents per play. The games play in part like slot machines, with various number and symbol matchings. The top prizes for some games are $150,000.
Lotteries in at least eight other states offer digital instants. North Carolina’s commission joined them, saying it would provide an avenue for continued revenue growth.
The North Carolina lottery reported record sales of more than $4.3 billion during the year ending June 30 and for the first time exceeded $1 billion in annual net earnings, which go to state education initiatives. Scratch-off games generate the most sales. Digital instants could generate more than $416 million in cumulative revenue within five years, according to previous commission projections.
North Carolina law has said the lottery can approve any game another state lottery already offers. A provision in the final state budget this year, however, prohibits the lottery from offering “casino-style table games” online.
Critics of digital instant games say they look too much like video sweepstakes machines that remain illegal to operate in North Carolina and will make it easier for people to lose lots of money quickly. Lottery officials point to ways that responsible gambling through digital instants is encouraged, including daily, weekly and monthly limits on player deposits into their accounts.
veryGood! (7829)
Related
- Gerry Faust, the former head football coach at Notre Dame, has died at 89
- South Africa again requests emergency measures from world court to restrain Israel’s actions in Gaza
- Rebels kill at least 4 people during an attack on a Central African Republic mining town
- Who is Zaccharie Risacher? What to know about potential No. 1 pick in 2024 NBA Draft
- Sean Diddy Combs' Lawyers File New Motion for Bail, Claiming Evidence Depicts a Consensual Relationship
- Donald Trump’s GOP allies show up in force as Michael Cohen takes the stand in hush money trial
- DAF Finance Institute, Driving Practical Actions for Social Development
- Pioneering Financial Innovation: Wilbur Clark and the Ascendance of the FB Finance Institute
- Democrat Cleo Fields wins re-drawn Louisiana congressional district, flipping red seat blue
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees latest test of new multiple rocket launcher
Ranking
- Police cruiser strikes and kills a bicyclist pulling a trailer in Vermont
- Punxsutawney Phil's twin pups officially given names in Mother's Day ceremony
- Illness took away her voice. AI created a replica she carries in her phone
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs asks judge to reject lawsuit alleging rape of 17-year-old girl in 2003
- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
- Fires used as weapon in Sudan conflict destroyed more towns in west than ever in April, study says
- MLB power rankings: Cardinals back in NL Central basement - and on track for dubious mark
- Kate Gosselin Shares Rare Photo of 4 of Her and Jon's Sextuplets at Their 20th Birthday Celebration
Recommendation
-
Brian Austin Green’s Fiancée Sharna Burgess Celebrates Megan Fox’s Pregnancy News
-
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
-
Halle Bailey, Lindsay Lohan and more first-time celebrity moms celebrate Mother's Day 2024
-
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
-
Wicked's Ethan Slater Shares How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Set the Tone on Set
-
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan killed more than 300 people, U.N. says
-
Who is Zaccharie Risacher? What to know about potential No. 1 pick in 2024 NBA Draft
-
See stunning northern lights photos: The celestial sight dazzled again on Saturday