BOSTON — An anti-gambling group is accusing the Massachusetts Lottery of using “Joe Camel-like” cartoon images to market online casino-like games to young people.
In a letter to state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, the group Stop Predatory Gambling urged her office to “take immediate action” against the Massachusetts Lottery for “flagrantly utilizing design features that deliberately exploit and capitalize off young users’ unique vulnerabilities.
“The Massachusetts Lottery is fully-aware of the harmful and negative impacts these types of online casino gambling-type games cause to young users and yet chose to conceal its knowledge and mislead the public to make a profit,” Les Bernal, the group’s national director, wrote in the three-page letter.
The group claimed the Lottery’s use of cartoon aesthetics will have a “Joe Camel” effect on young people “because similar to tobacco marketing, it builds brand loyalty and positive associations long before legal age limits apply.” The cartoon used by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to promote Camel cigarettes.
“Through its use of cute characters and bright aesthetics, the Mass Lottery is deceptively trying to make its online casino gambling platform appear like harmless video games, normalizing commercialized gambling for young people,” Bernal wrote.
He cited an online casino gambling-version of “the claw,” a popular arcade prize game for children often placed near the exits of grocery stores where players use a joystick to position a mechanical metal claw and press a button to drop it, trying to grab prizes like a stuffed animal or candy.
“By blatantly preying on our young people, the Massachusetts Lottery has chosen to profit by knowingly targeting and exploiting their vulnerabilities,” Bernal wrote. “In doing so, the State Lottery is contributing to the ongoing mental health crisis among our young adults and teenagers in the state.”
In a statement, Goldberg’s office said the Lottery has implemented a number of online safeguards to prevent underage play, including requiring an age-verified account to make purchases, multi-factor authentication to login into the websites and restrictions on the number of devices a user can play on at the same time.
“The Lottery takes the prevention of underage play very seriously and is committed to ensuring that its online platforms provide a safe, secure, and responsible environment for players,” Goldberg spokesman Andrew Napolitano said in a statement. “Protecting minors from accessing Lottery products is a key priority, and the Lottery continually evaluates and strengthens its practices to help ensure that only eligible individuals are able to participate at both retail locations and online.”
The Lottery also offers a demonstration mode that allows players “the chance to experience and understand the new game category’s mechanics without the commitment of making a purchase” to determine their skills.
In July, the Lottery launched its long-awaited online “iLottery” platform that includes casino-style and cascading-symbol instant win games that are playable on smartphones and computers. Players must be 21 or older and “physically located” within Massachusetts, according to the rules.
Lottery officials have said the expansion to online games could drum up another $70 million in revenue for the state in the first year, with Goldberg projecting the virtual games will generate up to $230 million a year within five years.
Combined, the state’s brick and mortar casinos, the Lottery, and regulated sports betting generated more than $1.5 billion in state revenue in the previous fiscal year, according to state data.
Online casino gambling is still illegal in Massachusetts, but online sweepstakes operators offer content simulating casino games online, lottery and sports betting.
State lawmakers were considering a proposal to legalize online casinos, but failed to take action on the measure before the July 31 end of formal legislative sessions.
The bill had called for allowing up to nine online casino apps overseen by the Gaming Commission. Goldberg has raised concerns about the impacts of legalizing online gambling.
Christian M. Wade covers Massachusetts state government and politics for CNHI News and North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.