Lottery director asks lawmakers to ban bulk‑purchase syndicates that game state draw games

State lottery officials urged lawmakers to outlaw coordinated bulk purchases that can monopolize draw‑game combinations and undermine public confidence.

Louie Luccini, director of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, told the committee that syndicates have organized to buy large volumes of tickets in multiple states and internationally; a recent Maine incident targeted a $30 progressive fast‑play game and paid a jackpot just over $1.8 million.

Luccini proposed that statute define and prohibit bulk‑purchasing organizations, allow the Lottery Commission to refuse prize payment to bulk purchasers, bar retailers from knowingly partnering with such groups, and expand the Commission’s rulemaking authority so it can respond to changing tactics. The bureau suggested an emergency preamble if the Legislature wants to act quickly.

Committee members asked about inter‑state games and confidentiality provisions; Luccini said the tristate games (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont) are governed by compact rules and that some confidentiality protections differ for tristate games. He said thresholds (the bureau used $1,000/$100,000 in its draft) could be adjusted in committee.