Connecticut Lottery players are still wondering when online draw ticket sales will begin, as it appears the new Connecticut online lottery app will miss its fall launch window. Sales of draw tickets and keno plays over the Internet became legal in Connecticut in 2021, alongside sports betting and online casino games. However, the Lottery has been extremely slow in taking advantage of that possibility, and customer frustration is beginning to build.
This June, the Lottery finally announced IGT as its technology partner for the new products. At the time, it told players to anticipate the new website and mobile app rolling out in late fall.
It now looks as if there have been unexpected challenges relating to quality control. Visiting the Lottery’s contact page produces the following message:
As many of you know, our new mobile app was not released as scheduled with conversion to our new gaming system. We understand the frustration of not having an official app available and appreciate your interest. Please be assured that our team is hard at work testing the new app, and we are committed to making sure that the app functions properly and that your experience is a good one.
It has also come to our attention that there are unofficial apps available that are not authorized by CT Lottery. We have no involvement with those apps, and are unaware of their accuracy and functionality.
We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this delay, and we very much look forward to providing you with the best user experience with the new official app.
Frustratingly, the delay means that Connecticut players looking to buy tickets for the billion-dollar Powerball jackpot still have to do so in person, as the online option isn’t available yet.
Bonus asked the Lottery and Department of Consumer Protection for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Beware of CT Lottery Impostor Apps
As alluded to in the Lottery’s message, some third-party companies have released apps that turn up in searches for “CT lottery app” on the iOS App Store and Google Play.
Bonus found the misspelled “Connecticut (CT) Lottery Resul” on both stores and “Results for CT Lottery” on iOS only. Neither is a new app. The first dates back to 2020, while the latter was most recently updated in 2022.
Neither app is official, nor will they allow online purchases. Both appear to have similar, minimal functionality, simply scraping draw results from the lottery website and presenting them to the user, while monetizing with banner ads.
Each has received one-star reviews from confused users who were fooled into thinking it is the new official app they’ve been waiting for.
It’s unlikely that these apps are dangerous, given that they received approval from Apple and Google. However, downloading them is probably a waste of time. The Lottery recommends that players monitor its social media feeds and website for updates on the app’s launch.
Bonus will also let you know as soon as we do.
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