Maine Lottery adopts rules to ban bulk ticket purchases

• Purchase Limit:
• The law prohibits any individual or group working together from buying more than $25,000
• in lottery tickets across a single or multiple transactions, whether at one location or several.

Prize Refusal: The State Liquor and Lottery Commission is authorized to refuse prize payments for winning tickets that were acquired in violation of these bulk purchase limits.

Retailer Penalties: The Director of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations can suspend or revoke the license of any ticket seller who knowingly sells tickets to individuals attempting these bulk purchases.

State Impact: The measure was passed as an emergency act in response to a rise in out-of-state organizations sweeping through local markets to buy large volumes of tickets in pursuit of major prizes, which lawmakers noted undermines fairness for regular players. [1, 2, 3, 4]

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By Kate Northrop

It's official — bulk lottery ticket purchases are illegal in Maine, making it the latest state to adopt laws in defense against organized groups aiming to "buy" jackpots.

The Maine Lottery has adopted new rules to ban bulk ticket purchases for any of its games.

Maine has now become part of the "growing number of lotteries across the country" taking steps to curtail ticket buying behavior that intends to increase the likelihood of securing top prizes, the Lottery announced Wednesday in a press release.

Maine legislators in both the House and Senate approved HP 1410, a bill that defines "bulk purchases" as buying more than $25,000 worth of tickets in a single lottery game, whether in one transaction or across multiple, at one retailer or several, or carried out by one individual or a group "acting in concert."

The wording means that splitting purchases among a group to stay under the limit per individual would not be permitted.

If someone were to present a winning ticket that was purchased as part of a bulk purchase attempt, the bill reads, the lottery commission may refuse payment of the prize.

Additionally, a retailer that knowingly sells tickets to a person attempting to make a bulk purchase would risk having their lottery license revoked.

The bill was signed by Governor Janet Mills in early April and took immediate effect.

"This proactive measure was implemented to address emerging practices observed across multiple jurisdictions, where out-of-state entities temporarily enter markets to buy high volumes of tickets in pursuit of jackpot wins," the Maine Lottery said in a press release. "Prior to this law, there were no restrictions on bulk ticket purchases — consistent with many states nationwide."

The legislative move mirrors those made by several other states that have taken measures to repel out-of-state bulk purchasers poaching in-state jackpot games, which are funded by in-state residents, only to have it swept up by groups with enough purchasing power to do so.

"This new law reinforces our commitment to fairness and integrity in lottery play," Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations Director Louis Luchini said in a press release. "This action helps ensure that no individual or group can gain an unfair advantage through large-scale purchasing strategies."

https://www.lotterypost.com/news/359237