(TRENTON) – Legislation Assemblyman John Burzichelli sponsored to authorize lottery courier services to make it easier for New Jersey residents to obtain lottery tickets has been signed into law.
The law (A-3904) requires the State Lottery Commission to register and authorize the operation of courier services for the purchase and delivery solely of state lottery tickets within New Jersey. No lottery ticket courier service will be permitted to operate unless it has been registered with the State Lottery Commission and has been authorized by the commission to operate as a courier service.
“Ticket delivery will make lottery products more accessible for players who are homebound or find it inconvenient to get to a retailer,” said Burzichelli (D-Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem). “This bill is aimed at saving players’ time and broadening a customer base that provides revenue for services that benefit all New Jersey residents.”
The law provides a criminal penalty for anyone attempting to conduct lottery courier services who has not been registered or authorized. The law further provides that a courier service may charge a fee for such service, but may not collect any portion of any lottery winnings in connection with the courier service. Moreover, a courier service will be able to store lottery tickets on behalf of its customers with proper consent and the maintenance of a database that will be subject to random audits by the commission.
The law further provides that the commission may establish regulations allowing for courier services to redeem winning tickets on behalf of customers, if proper steps are taken to ensure security for the customer and transparency to the public.
The law also requires that gambling addiction warnings be provided to customers by the lottery courier service on its website, as well as a notice to customers of the risk of using an unauthorized lottery courier service.
“Many other goods – food, water, clothing and other items – are already delivered in order to make people’s lives easier,” Burzichelli said. “We have the means to add lottery tickets to that list, and it’s important to facilitate this convenience with guidelines that emphasize security and transparency.”
