Lottery could start online scratch-off games Thursday

The State Lottery said its online games could begin as soon as Thursday, making Minnesota the first state in the country to offer online instant scratch-off games.

"The product is developed, it's sound, it seems to work properly," said lottery director Ed Van Petten. "We just want to test all the accounting software, make sure that if the player wins the money gets deposited back in their accounts. Just that everything works."

Van Petten said the target launch date is Feb. 6. "But that's not set in stone," he added.

The games would mimic the scratch games the lottery currently sells at retail locations and from automatic vending machines. Players would buy a ticket and use their mouse to reveal the numbers and see if their ticket wins.

Players could buy the tickets on the Minnesota lottery website, using a computer, tablet or phone.

Van Petten said that there are no plans to put the games on iPads already installed at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. The lottery is thinking about rolling out an offering there, but Van Petten said it would only be Powerball, Mega Millions and traditional lotto games that offer numbers for existing drawings.

Lottery officials say they think online instant games will boost sales, both overall and at traditional points of sale. They say the online games and availability online will help draw in younger players who have been drifting away from lottery products.

The lottery has been selling lottery draw tickets for several years, although they haven't been a big draw: The lottery says online sales account for just 0.27 percent of lotto sales.

The idea, though, has already drawn opposition from skeptical lawmakers who have said that online gambling isn't allowed under current law. Lottery retailers and charitable gambling operators have also worried what kind of competition they'll face from the online games.

Here's a Minnesota Lottery presentation on online lottery sales: