Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 24 of chapter 10 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1996 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 10, the words "shares, provided that" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- shares; provided, however, that no tickets or shares, other than season tickets, so-called, shall be sold, offered for sale, or purchased from a licensed sales agent or the lottery commission by telephone or by the use of computer or facsimile services; provided, further, that said restriction shall not govern the transmittal of lottery information and sales through telephone services strictly between the lottery commission and its duly licensed sales agents; provided, further, that.

SECTION 2. Said section 24 of said chapter 10, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word "shares", in line 15, the following words:- ; provided, however, that the amount of compensation, if any, to be paid to licensed sales agents as a commission pursuant to this section shall be calculated on the total face value of each ticket or share sold and not on any discounted price of any such ticket or share sold.

SECTION 3. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the state lottery commission shall conduct an investigation and study relative to the implementation of telephone betting services by said commission through its licensed sales agents. Said commission shall report the results of its investigation and study and its recommendations, if any, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry its recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the clerk of the house of representatives and the clerk of the senate by December 31, 1998.