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The Massachusetts State Lottery, in collaboration with lotteries across the United States and Canada, will be observing the sixth annual National Lottery Week, a celebration of lotteries throughout North America in acknowledgement of "their collective contributions to the communities they serve," from July 14-20. Some are cheering, but those concerned about problem gambling and the lottery's impact on poorer communities are not.
The Mass Lottery established the first National Lottery Day on July 17, 2018, providing customers and retail partners with a day of special promotions for lottery products, while celebrating the Lottery "as a valuable source of essential unrestricted local aid in the Commonwealth" since selling its first ticket in 1972. In 2019, the Mass Lottery and other lotteries subsequently collaborated to create the first National Lottery Week.
“National Lottery Week is a great occasion to show appreciation for our customers, retailers and communities, all of whom share in our success,” said Mark William Bracken, Executive Director of the Mass Lottery. “We are grateful for our industry colleagues throughout the U.S. and Canada who have embraced this celebration and made it an annual one.”
Les Bernal, National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling & Campaign for Gambling-Free Kids, based in Lawrence, saw the situation differently. “If you’re someone proud of the fact that the Mass Lottery sells $50 scratch off tickets in low-income communities, pushes Frosty the Snowman lottery games with the intent to lure kids to gamble like Joe Camel was used by tobacco companies to hook kids on smoking, and has caused life-altering gambling addictions for tens thousands of citizens across the state, then Lottery Week is for you,” Bernal said.
Promotional Efforts for the Week
Over the course of the week, the Mass Lottery will utilize social media to highlight multiple themes, including the support the Lottery provides to all 351 cities and towns, the Lottery’s retail partners, and responsible gambling. Appreciation of lottery customers will be celebrated with the following promotions:
Quic Pic Palooza
From Monday, July 15 through Sunday, July 21, play $5 or more on a single draw or monitor game ticket and you could win a free $1 Quic Pic ticket. The promotion concludes at 8:59 p.m. Sunday, July 21.
JAWS Bonus Bite Promotion
From Monday, July 15 through Sunday, July 28, for every non-winning $10 JAWS instant ticket entered through the Mass Lottery app or on the Mass Lottery website, players will earn one entry for a chance to win a cash prize, in addition to being entered into the next JAWS Second Chance Drawing. The Lottery will randomly select 170 winners. A total of $20,000 in cash prizes will be awarded, with prize denominations of $50, $100 and $500.
