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Carter Vance, former associate general counsel at Louisville, Kentucky's Churchill Downs racetrack, has been named the first ever general counsel at Jackpocket, an app offering players a way to order state lottery tickets on their phones and other mobile devices.

New York-based Jackpocket describes itself as a lottery courier service. “Think of us as an Uber Eats for lottery tickets,” its spokesperson said.

At Churchill Downs, Vance was responsible for all legal and regulatory matters pertaining to iGaming, sports wagering and online horse racing. He was not immediately available for comment.

Reporting to Jackpocket CEO Peter Sullivan, Vance works with vice president of external affairs Andrew Fries to navigate the regulatory environment around lottery services, which can differ from state to state.

The service is currently available in three states—Minnesota, New Hampshire and Texas plus the District of Columbia—but the company is trying to expand into many more this year. A player must be physically present in the state to place an order, although the app also supports multijurisdictional games such as Mega Millions, Powerball and Lucky for Life.

A spokesperson said Jackpocket worked with the New York State Gaming Commission and the New York Lottery to develop regulations that were adopted in March and plans to launch in that state soon. Its application also is pending for a lottery courier license in New Jersey.

“It's clear Jackpocket has been thoughtful about its operations within existing laws and its approach to expansion in each state,” Vance said in a statement. “I'm grateful to offer my guidance to the company where it is now—in good standing with lotteries, compliant in its technology provisions, and committed to its consumer protections.”

Vance previously practiced law with Stites & Harbison in Louisville, and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson in New York. He is a graduate of the Duke University School of Law.

Sullivan, the founder and CEO, said in a statement, “With Carter's pedigree behind us, we're even more enthusiastic at the opportunity to build more fruitful relationships with lotteries and their regulators. His background perfectly matches our needs in this stage” of growth across the U.S.

According to the company's website, Jackpocket allows players to order tickets, check results, join lottery pools with other players and turn on an autoplay function so they never miss a drawing.

When a player uses the app to order a ticket, Jackpocket charges his account a small fee plus the ticket cost, sends him a photo of the ticket and stores the original paper ticket.

Winnings under $600 are automatically deposited into a player's Jackpocket account. For bigger winnings, the company arranges to securely transfer the winning ticket to the player. The company does not take a percentage of any winnings.