Pennsylvania Lottery players who tried to use some of the lottery's coupons that arrived in the mail or in the newspaper in late April or earlier this month learned that they were about as good as a losing lottery ticket.
That's because of a printing error in the coupons' bar code that makes them unreadable to retailers' lottery terminals, said Elizabeth Brassell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Revenue, which oversees the lottery.
New coupons are being reprinted and will start arriving in mailboxes and newspapers, starting on Wednesday. The coupons will include two that can be used in June and one for each of the following four months.
Brassell said the cost of the coupons' reprinting and mailing is being borne entirely by state-contracted vendor Valassis of Livonia, Mich.
Word of the printing error was spread to players via email to those who are part of the lottery's VIP Club, flyers handed out by retailers, and on lottery terminals or TV messaging at retail outlets.
"The lottery sincerely regrets any inconvenience to our customers," said lottery spokesman Gary Miller. "And we are hoping that the June bonus coupon will make up for any inconvenience."
Oh- the Horror!
Sometimes the low-bidder ain't the best choice.
I'm about ten minutes from Valassis...hope they fix the bar code.
Livonia Mi,
hometown of Shades of blue.
Welcome to the PA LOTTERY
So true
Wow a double bonus coupon for June - can't wait!!
Not.
Give me a coupon that gives me something free without having to buy something first, that will make up for the
inconvenience.
These are just a waste of paper anyway..buy one $5 get one $2 or buy 5 pb and get a mm free or buy a block of 5
Cash 5 and get a daily number boxed free??
Junk mail.
WOW! Is that what they are offering in PA? I guess we need to stop complaining in GA. Our coupons are bogo of the same type of game/price. You are right on about the bonus coupon! That's like the IHOP owner offered me to come back to her location to use a coupon that the manager wouldn't accept when I was there the first time! WOW, REALLY! How do some of these people make it in management with their terrible customer service! We have to vote with our money otherwise they will continue to do these type of things!
But on the other hand,
We just got our first ever MM Jackpot Winner since joining!
Mckeesport near Pittsburgh, PA
Yup, in my neck of the woods, sadly it wasn't me, but congrats to the winner.
I got the new set of coupons.
They went right in the trash.