Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Gregory C. Fajt today announced that more than 6,700 Lottery retailers will be able to electronically check the ages of customers through online Lottery terminals using a new age verification system.
Age verification software will be downloaded, free of cost, to all Lottery terminals across the Commonwealth.
"The Department of Revenue and the Pennsylvania Lottery recognize our social responsibility to help retailers prdvent the sale of Lottery tickets to minors," said Secretary Fajt. "To that end, we're proud to make available this tool that will aid in the age verification process."
The new terminal capability will not only allow retailers to check the ages of Lottery customers, but could also be helpful in verifying the ages of those who want to purchase other age-restricted products, such as cigarettes and alcohol.
"The lottery's age verification system will allow retailers to accurately and conveniently check a customer's age," said Dale Horst, Weis Markets Vice President for Store Operations. "It will also complement our own front-end age verification system for tobacco purchases, which we are currently installing in our cash registers."
When a retailer swipes a PA driver's license or ID card through the magnetic stripe reader on the Lottery terminal, the card owner's age in years and days will appear on the terminal screen. Retailers can then print the screen if they want to maintain a record of an age verification procedure.
Scientific Games, Lottery's systems provider, developed the software that enables Lottery terminals to read the magnetic stripes on PA driver's licenses and ID cards. The Department of Transportation assisted in developing the technology by providing information about PA licenses and ID cards.
Lottery Executive Director Ed Mahlman said the system does not retain any information about customers. It is a read-only technology that cannot collect data about customers or their purchases.
Lottery Executive Director Ed Mahlman said the system does not retain any information about customers. It is a read-only technology that cannot collect data about customers or their purchases.
Then why cant they use something like this for proof of ticket purchase for those jackpot games. maybe a lot of unclaimed prizes can be claimed .
Even though the retailers don't have to pay for this, I'm sure the PA Lottery payed Scientific Games for the program. That most likely being the case, leads me to ask, is underage purchases of lottery tickets that rampant? Especially in PA?
Quote:Originally posted by DoctorEw220 on May 12, 2004
they really aren't necessary. it's much easier, as well as cost effective, to just ask to see someone's ID.
The problem is most clerks can't do the math. It's the same with giving change in stores. Take away the "change" button on cash registers and store clerks are clueless.
keystonechas: i understand if you might have been shortchanged before, and may think that because most of the workers at stores are teenagers that they are stupid, but a lot of them actually know what they are doing. when i worked at a terminal, i would double check everything, and remind the customers to check their tickets themselves. i also double check the total, as well as the change they recieve. it's not the clerks. it's how well they are trained on their job. personally, i made sure the person i trained knew the terminal fromt and back, left and right, as well as the certain key commands for a history, reports, settlements and pack activations, winning numbers reports, etc. i made sure they would not screw anything up, and my training has worked.
Quote:Originally posted by DoctorEw220 on May 13, 2004
keystonechas: i understand if you might have been shortchanged before, and may think that because most of the workers at stores are teenagers that they are stupid, but a lot of them actually know what they are doing. when i worked at a terminal, i would double check everything, and remind the customers to check their tickets themselves. i also double check the total, as well as the change they recieve. it's not the clerks. it's how well they are trained on their job. personally, i made sure the person i trained knew the terminal fromt and back, left and right, as well as the certain key commands for a history, reports, settlements and pack activations, winning numbers reports, etc. i made sure they would not screw anything up, and my training has worked.
My comments were directed more at the fast food, grocery store, etc. cashers. For the most part lottery terminal clerks know what their doing.
My gripe is with the above descibed folks who hit the change button and hand you paper bills, coins and receipt. This is not the proper way to hand a customer their change.
I'm from the old school. Twenty-five or so years ago the common practice was to count the change back to the customer. This cut down on mistakes.
Why isn't this the standard practice today? The answer in one word.....Laziness.
"My comments were directed more at the fast food, grocery store, etc. cashers."- I was a grocery store employee, and I didn't always work the lottery terminal.
"My gripe is with the above descibed folks who hit the change button and hand you paper bills, coins and receipt. This is not the proper way to hand a customer their change."- I couldn't agree more. That is why I used to do that. In fact, a lot of cashiers do that, granted there are the lazy ones who don't. Perhaps it's just a locational thing.
"Why isn't this the standard practice today? The answer in one word.....Laziness."- I can answer that question better. It's convenience. Businesses nowadays want to get trheir customers in and out quicker, and customers want to be in and out even quicker. The more people a cashier rings up, the ore money the store makes. If you ring up more people, then the lane wil be open quicker for customers to go to, and the more people go to a lane, the more business the store does.
Using your argument DoctorEw220, why not fire all cashers? Replace them with monkeys. No need to pay them or provide benefits, just toss them a banana now and then.
Lottery Executive Director Ed Mahlman said the system does not retain any information about customers. It is a read-only technology that cannot collect data about customers or their purchases.
Then why cant they use something like this for proof of ticket purchase for those jackpot games. maybe a lot of unclaimed prizes can be claimed .
Because that would require them to capture your information. That would not be read-only, like the ID verification.
Even though the retailers don't have to pay for this, I'm sure the PA Lottery payed Scientific Games for the program. That most likely being the case, leads me to ask, is underage purchases of lottery tickets that rampant? Especially in PA?
it happens, but not very often.
a lot of parents will buy tickets for their kids, and minors can cash tickets in.
they really aren't necessary. it's much easier, as well as cost effective, to just ask to see someone's ID.
NY lottery terminals can check ages.
The problem is most clerks can't do the math. It's the same with giving change in stores. Take away the "change" button on cash registers and store clerks are clueless.
Chas
New York state was the first and Pa will be the second state to have the ID feature.
Chas
keystonechas: i understand if you might have been shortchanged before, and may think that because most of the workers at stores are teenagers that they are stupid, but a lot of them actually know what they are doing. when i worked at a terminal, i would double check everything, and remind the customers to check their tickets themselves. i also double check the total, as well as the change they recieve. it's not the clerks. it's how well they are trained on their job. personally, i made sure the person i trained knew the terminal fromt and back, left and right, as well as the certain key commands for a history, reports, settlements and pack activations, winning numbers reports, etc. i made sure they would not screw anything up, and my training has worked.
My comments were directed more at the fast food, grocery store, etc. cashers. For the most part lottery terminal clerks know what their doing.
My gripe is with the above descibed folks who hit the change button and hand you paper bills, coins and receipt. This is not the proper way to hand a customer their change.
I'm from the old school. Twenty-five or so years ago the common practice was to count the change back to the customer. This cut down on mistakes.
Why isn't this the standard practice today? The answer in one word.....Laziness.
Chas
"My comments were directed more at the fast food, grocery store, etc. cashers."- I was a grocery store employee, and I didn't always work the lottery terminal.
"My gripe is with the above descibed folks who hit the change button and hand you paper bills, coins and receipt. This is not the proper way to hand a customer their change."- I couldn't agree more. That is why I used to do that. In fact, a lot of cashiers do that, granted there are the lazy ones who don't. Perhaps it's just a locational thing.
"Why isn't this the standard practice today? The answer in one word.....Laziness."- I can answer that question better. It's convenience. Businesses nowadays want to get trheir customers in and out quicker, and customers want to be in and out even quicker. The more people a cashier rings up, the ore money the store makes. If you ring up more people, then the lane wil be open quicker for customers to go to, and the more people go to a lane, the more business the store does.
Using your argument DoctorEw220, why not fire all cashers? Replace them with monkeys. No need to pay them or provide benefits, just toss them a banana now and then.
Chas