LottoGopher Holdings Inc. (CSE: LOTO) (OTCQB: LTTGF) (FSE: 2LG) a lottery messenger service that allows users to easily order and manage their state lottery tickets online, today announced its execution of a definitive agreement to acquire SMS-ENGINE, a text-based gaming engine for use in lottery, sports betting and sweepstakes.

LottoGopher Chief Executive Officer, James Morel, commented, “We are really excited about this opportunity which will allow people to participate in lottery, sports betting and sweepstakes via text messaging. We expect to be able to deploy this internationally and utilize our GopherChain blockchain application to track transactions. We anticipate closing this transaction over the next 10 days and moving quickly to integrate its technology to expand our offerings.”

The Supreme Court of the United States recent decision to allow states to legalize sports betting could be beneficial for the mobile SMS-based sports betting application.

SMS-ENGINE is a proprietary platform which allows a user to play the lottery via text message, and can be configured for sports betting, sweepstakes and other games. SMS provides the simplest form of two-way communication and allows for push-based reminders and winning announcements, which is designed to increase customer traction. SMS-ENGINE integrates with existing network providers via Short Message Peer-to-Peer (SMPP) protocol.

In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prevented the legalization of sports betting in states that had not previously allowed such activities. Nevada was the only state with legalized full-scale sports gambling before Monday. Now, each state will be free to legalize and enforce sports betting as it sees fit.

The American Gambling Association estimates there is a $150 billion illegal sports betting market in the U.S. At least 12 states have active sports betting-related legislation, with more expected to introduce bills throughout 2018, especially in light of Monday’s ruling.

According to research by Oxford Economics, legalizing sports betting in the U.S. would curb the illegal market while supporting up to 152,000 jobs, creating an estimated $26 billion in economic output and generating up to $5.3 billion in tax revenue.

About LottoGopher

LottoGopher is a lottery messenger service that allows users to easily order and manage their state lottery tickets online using a debit or credit card. By allowing individuals to choose their numbers and safely order tickets for the official lottery drawings in California, LottoGopher makes it simple for users to keep track of their tickets and winnings. With LottoGopher, individuals can either play alone with a single ticket or create and join online public and private groups to pool winnings from California lotteries, including Mega Millions, Powerball and SuperLotto Plus. LottoGopher offers memberships that allow California residents to order multiple tickets from various lotteries. LottoGopher also enables users to stay up to date on the latest drawings, track their tickets and collect winnings. Members have exclusive access to expert player strategies, jackpot alerts, lottery news, lucky number pickers and winners’ financial resources.