Despite a longstanding ban on online gambling, the Maine State Lottery has been tinkering with the idea of expanding its games to the internet. Whether that means launching a full fledged online casino, or just bringing the games to the mobile realm, it will be up to the legislature to decide.
The lottery industry is relatively new in Maine. While a number of states have some form of gambling, it’s only been in the state for about sixteen years. There’s a state lottery, two brick and mortar casinos, and a handful of off track betting parlors. And, of course, the state has some racetracks and bingo halls to keep the players entertained.
One of the better ways to promote gambling in the state is through an agreement between the lottery and retailers. The deal works like this: the lottery pays retailers a cut of the money spent by customers on gambling related activities. The retailer, in turn, takes on the risk of operating video slot machines, which carries with it a higher cost of liability. In return, the lottery gets to market its games to a larger audience, and makes it easy for consumers to make their way to the lottery machine.
The lottery also provides a handful of special games and prizes. For instance, you can get a free tournament ticket if you can rack up enough points in the state’s lottery SNG. The odds aren’t that good, but the jackpots are huge. There are also some very niche games, such as the windfall and jackpot Sit & Go. The latter is not for the faint of heart, as it is an extremely quick game that seats three, and uses a pseudorandom number generator to determine its results. It’s also a winner-take-all game, so it’s no wonder the prizes are big.
The Oregon Lottery has been a bit of a slow burner, but its growth has drawn the attention of the federal government. In fact, the state’s gaming board has been the focus of a recent audit, and the agency has a lot of work to do. Among the issues that plagued the agency were the fact that it relyed too much on retailers to report revenue. Moreover, a handful of retailers had licenses revoked. The lottery also lacked the authority to enforce its rules.
The Oregon Lottery has a few fun facts to its credit, and one of them is a pretty slick system that lets it offer Vegas-style terminals in every corner of the state. For instance, they are even permitting bars and restaurants to have the Oregon Lottery’s branded slot machines on the premises. The system, which was first implemented in 2004, allows the state to distribute more than 12,000 video slot machines to more outlets, allowing the state to provide its citizens with a more diverse gaming experience.
The Oregon lottery has a reputation for being a bit of a laggard when it comes to enforcing its rules. In fact, there’s one particular rule that has remained largely unenforced, and is the reason why the state’s casinos and slot machines have not become a nationwide phenom.