ilottery back on Hoosier Lottery agenda after new Indiana legislation filed

Indiana House of Representatives, where a Hoosier Lottery-led ilottery bill was mooted
Image: Shutterstock

Online lottery proponents in the state of Indiana have received a boost this week after a new legislation was filed by Rep. Ethan Manning in the Indiana House of Representatives.

Currently, Indiana residents can only buy lottery tickets from licensed local retailers due to the online restrictions in place.

This stance has been challenged on several occasions, with the Hoosier Lottery handed another blow last year as dissenters of the proposals cited lottery law written in 1989 that contradicts such a bill.

State legislators then announced an amendment to the law, stating any bill would have to be approved by the General Assembly.

Unperturbed by the latest show of defiance, Commission Chair William Zielke doubled down on his plans to launch an online lottery in the state.

Now, just over eight months on, this has emerged as a more realistic possibility.

Manning’s House Bill 1536 – which includes online casinos and poker sites – would regulate online lottery games under the Hoosier Lottery, allowing for both the online sale of draw game tickets like Mega Millions and Powerball, as well as online representations of scratch-off games.

The upfront fee for the licence would be $500,000 with a $50,000 annual renewal rate. The proposed tax rate is 20%.

Rather than starting in the Senate, the bill will originate in the House this time around, with a deadline set of Feb. 27.Many, including Entain’s Martin Lycka, believe Indiana is the state most likely to legalise online casinos this year, along with New York.