Online Lotto a click away

Lotto tickets could soon be available on the internet, the Lotteries Commission is set to announce this week.

But gambling watchdogs are worried that that if the game goes online it is likely to become irresistible to at-risk punters.

Chief executive Todd McLeay told the Herald on Sunday that because many customers expected to use the internet in all aspects of their lives, the move would be "a natural addition to the online Kiwi experience".

"While our retailers will remain as the backbone of our sales network, the internet offers convenient access to those either located in remote areas or unable to access a store in person."

McLeay emphasised that the commission would work with a range of government agencies to make sure "appropriate safeguards" were in place.

But Problem Gambling Helpline chief executive Krista Ferguson said she feared that online lotteries would lure vulnerable gambling addicts into uncontrolled debt.

"The problem is, it's making it 24 hours, seven days a week accessible.

"Right now, Lotto is not a huge part of the problem gambling scene in New Zealand.

"As soon as they move online ... that's going to create a high-risk form of gambling."

Lotto would have to find a way of restricting the age of players. Credit cards should not be accepted, as they would rack up unsustainable debt.

One of New Zealand's luckiest Lotto shops, Radius Pharmacy, Peter Dunkerley, in Hastings said the move would force many small shops to change.

"The shops whose main business is Lotto, these are the ones who it's going to hit hard... but they need to get up with the times," business manager Natasha Julian said.

"It's always been coming, we're probably the last in the world [to have it]. This is business and this is progress. We're probably lucky it didn't happen two years ago."