Hoosier Lottery officials don't say much about online games ban

Hoosier Lottery officials aren’t saying much about the General Assembly blocking the lottery from offering online games.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette uncovered the lottery’s exploration of online gaming in the middle of the 2022 legislative session. Lawmakers responded quickly, creating language that blocks such a move without legislative approval.

READ MORE: Indiana lawmakers halt online lottery expansion

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 73224. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues. Trying to follow along with our coverage of the legislative session? We've compiled all the stories our reporters have published by bill number and topic here.

At a lottery commission meeting the day after the governor signed that ban into law in HEA 1260, Executive director Sarah Taylor wouldn’t say much.

“We’re definitely going to evaluate everything that’s happened and prepare, through our annual process with the business plan, next steps,” Taylor said.

Taylor deflected any further questions to a statement from the lottery. It said its exploration of online games was driven by “changes in consumer behavior.” And the statement said the lottery will continue to “research innovations in the industry … with the tools available to us.”

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

Copyright 2022 IPB News. To see more, visit IPB News.