Residents who want lottery tickets sent to their doorsteps could have them delivered under a bill moving in the Legislature.
The Assembly Tourism, Gaming and Arts Committee approved a bill Monday that requires the Lottery Commission to authorize the courier delivery of tickets.
Democratic Assemblyman John Burzichelli said the measure is aimed at broadening the lottery's customer base and he decided to introduce legislation after he was approached by a company interested in bringing the business to the state. He said he did not recall the firm's name.
Current state law does not address the delivery of lottery tickets, Burzichelli said, so he wanted to address the issue directly.
Under the bill, courier services would have to register with and get authorization from the state Lottery Commission before delivering tickets. They may charge a delivery fee but cannot collect a portion of a prize from a redeemed ticket. Burzichelli said the idea was to prevent couriers from seeking lottery proceeds as a term of business.
Burzichelli also said his bill could make it easier for players who are homebound to play the lottery.
"Many other goods — food, water, clothing and other items — are already delivered in order to make people's lives easier," he said in a statement. "We have the means to add lottery tickets to that list."
