Pennsylvania's Internet Lottery Hauls in $21.6 Million in First Month

In its first month of existence, the Pennsylvania iLottery raked in more $21.6 million in sales while paying out winnings of $18.7 million, generating a lucrative new way for punters to bet from their electronic devices.

The service launched on June 4th with 11 different games for punters to test their luck at, with games like Super Gems or Monster Wins being presented to players. The service paid out to more than 45,000 unique players and has proven to be popular thus far.

Despite this, the games have drawn criticism. Brick and mortar casinos claim that the online games are too close to casino slots and can be played by those 18 or older, while casino games are restricted to those 21 or older. The lottery had marketed the games as "slot style" and "casino-style", which is in contradiction to the law, which prohibits the iLottery service from offering titles that "simulate casino-style games." Because of this, the Department of Revenue ruled that the lottery cannot market the games like they had been.

The lottery serves as a potential measure for what online betting and sportsbetting could bring the state in terms of revenues. We'll be updating readers as the industry progresses.