BOSTON, Mass. — After online sports betting hit the market earlier this year, the Massachusetts State Lottery is also pushing to get online.

They say its too compete with the new wave of gambling.

“One of the most important things with sports betting and sports betting being online. Its critical that the legislature authorize lottery in order to have an even playing field,” said State Treasurer Deb Goldberg. “After all the lottery revenue goes directly to the local communities for services.”

The interim executive director of the mass state lottery is Mark William Bracken, he testified in front of a joint committee Thursday and explained there are advanced technologies online and commerce overall is in a digital age.

“In order for the lottery to meet and exceed its goals, we need to make the lottery like any other company, and sell our products online,” Bracken testified. 

Bracken says the Mass Lottery is number one in the country and number two in the world, but in the last two years profits have plateaued. He doesn’t want them to lose the revenue that goes to the cities and towns in the state because they’re not keeping up with consumers.

“It would also enable us to appeal to new players. As a 50-year-old operation we have to modernize our methods over time including how we attract new players. Expanding the lottery player base is vital to meeting our goals long term,” he said. 

If the lottery goes online, they are projecting $200 million in additional revenue.

For those worried about gambling addition, with online play they can monitor those with gambling problems. Imposing daily wager limits and tracking spending.