As the Justice Department has already give it a green light; Steve Grossman, state treasurer of Massachusetts, is planning on creating a task force to decide if the state should go ahead with the online sales of lottery tickets. Lottery winning numbers

Grossman said the federal opinion came as “a surprise that accelerates the urgency of dealing with online lottery sales and online gambling in general.’’

For this project, the task force will consist of about 20 members, including representatives from the state treasurer’s office, the Massachusetts Lottery, private citizens, and elected officials. The state has also begun a search for a consultant to provide expertise and research services. Mega lottery

Grossman said he expects to start meeting with task force members within “the next few weeks,’’ even before the expertise consultant is hired as this is a decision that needs immediate attention.

For Massachusetts, the Department of Justice’s opinion arrives at exactly the same time as they are implementing a law that legalizes casino gambling. In this case, the state has allowed, so far, three full-scale casinos and one slot machine parlor to function in the state. The state is also in the look to allow consumers to purchase lottery tickets using debit cards as well as cash.

Tom Larkin, president of the antigambling group United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, says that this change could be more harming that benefiting. “More Internet gambling will simply siphon more and more money out of the economy and create more individual debt, suicides, alcoholism, and mental health problems.’’ In his particular case, Larkin is very concerned about the Internet gambling’s impact on youth.

Grossman said yesterday that some gambling opponents would be appointed to the state’s investigative task force so all opinions are taken into account. For him, “The social impact of online gambling will be a major concern of the task force.’

Yesterday, the first four legislators were named as the committee’s members: Representative Timothy Toomey of Cambridge, a Democrat; Representative Daniel Winslow, a Republican from Norfolk; Senator Jennifer Flanagan, Democrat of Leominster; and Senator Richard Ross of Wrentham, a Republican.

Grossman said the point of this committee is to have the group to consider the possible impact that online gambling might have on the 7,500 retailers who sell lottery products. On an average, a Massachusetts lottery agent makes $37,000 a year on commissions from lottery sales.

The task force will also consider the impact of online gambling on the Massachusetts’ nascent casino industry. We don’t know whether unfettered online poker and online roulette in Massachusetts will or will not cause casino companies to bid less aggressively for licenses. The law legalizing casino gambling in the state is very new.

But, as state treasurer, Grossman said he has to take “an entrepreneurial and aggressive approach’’ to new online opportunities to ensure that Massachusetts does not lose revenue to other states that may embrace online gambling more aggressively.

It is now up to the task force and Grossman to make the best decision and hope that these changes will work for the best in Massachusetts.