Ohio Lottery operator switch has some glitches
A new company began running the Ohio Lottery's computer system on Wednesday, causing frustrating problems for some retailers and leaving some winning tickets incorrectly coming up as losers.
Lottery spokeswoman Marie Kilbane said the problems were being worked out.
What we saw early were mostly common problems we had predicted, such as some calls from retailers who had forgotten sign-on passwords. But overall, selling has been going well, Kilbane said.
The Ohio Lottery decided last yea ...
Jul 1, 2009, 7:41 pm - - Lottery News forum
Ohio Lottery switches to Greek operator Intralot
Greek company takes over operation of games
At 11:59 p.m. today, in an office park in Strongsville, state officials and a gaggle of computer technicians, some from Greece, will change how Ohioans get their lottery tickets.
Success will be measured by how few people notice.
What happens inside the 80,000-square-foot, unadorned brick building not far from the Lorain County line is being watched like Y2K, at least in the world of state lotteries.
A lot of people are rooting for us, and ...
Jun 30, 2009, 8:26 am - - Lottery News forum
Fla. Lottery to try vending machines... again
Construction worker Anthony Carey usually gets $50 worth of scratch-off lottery tickets once a week at the convenience store where he gasses up, but he says that'll probably change when Florida reintroduces vending machines later this year in supermarkets.
The first of 1,000 machines should begin showing up in mid-August and all should all be in place by the end of November.
Instead of just getting them when I'm putting in gas, I would be able to buy them basically anywhere, Carey said wh ...
Jun 5, 2009, 8:39 am - - Lottery News forum
Ohio Lottery director under scrutiny for equipment debacle
A year ago, Ohio Lottery Director Michael A. Dolan persuaded skeptical lawmakers to buy $11.6 million worth of equipment to launch the state's new Keno game on a promise that the setup would still work after a year a premise that Dolan later admitted was false.
Now, as Dolan prepares to ask the same legislative panel to approve a $41 million contract with a company to run Keno and other lottery games for the next two years, the director's own dubious promises could return to haunt him.
On ...
Jun 1, 2009, 9:51 am - - Lottery News forum
N.M. Lottery to replace Powerball tickets printed in error
The New Mexico Lottery has discovered that approximately 450 Powerball wagers were printed in error earlier this month.
The wagers were purchased from two self-service lottery machines provided by Intralot, Inc., the lottery's gaming system vendor.
Players who purchased those wagers will be offered a replacement ticket for the Jan. 28 drawing.
The error occurred when Intralot deployed two self-service lottery machines before upgrading internal software supporting Powerball's new format. ...
Jan 23, 2009, 6:56 pm - - Lottery News forum
New Michigan lottery terminals are giving retailers fits
Numerous glitches have popped up on the touch-screen devices that use satellite technology
The new generation of Michigan Lottery machines is giving some retailers fits as the devices sometimes go on the blink in this winter's harsh weather.
The state began replacing 11,000 older model machines last fall, and the conversion should be completed by month's end.
But unlike the old system, which used phone lines, the new one relies on satellite technology.
In snowy, windy weather, the ne ...
Jan 16, 2009, 7:54 am - - Lottery News forum
National Lottery computer fiasco cost winner £800,000
A systems failure at the lottery operator Camelot caused terminals in shops to crash as they tried to issue tickets for the main Lotto draw and even halted Internet sales.
The dramatic reduction in takings for the post-Christmas draw caused the jackpot to be trimmed from the 4.2 million (US$6.1 million) estimated on Christmas Eve to 3.4m (US$5m).
Camelot apologized publicly after the problem which may also have prevented a potential jackpot winner from buying a ticket.
A single player w ...
Dec 29, 2008, 9:54 am - - Lottery News forum
Wisconsin Lottery does not make vendor pay for mistakes
The Wisconsin Lottery has repeatedly declined to seek the maximum amount of damages allowed against a contractor whose technical failures have disrupted ticket sales and operations, records show.
The Lottery has contracted with GTECH Corp. since 1989 to operate its ticket system, including 3,200 terminals at retailers statewide and a related telecommunications network. Under the contract, the Lottery can assess damages when its telecommunications systems fail or tickets cannot be validated.
...
Nov 28, 2008, 9:28 am - - Lottery News forum
Michigan Lottery replacing terminals statewide
Michigan celebrates 36th anniversary of state lottery
As the Michigan Lottery turns 36 this week, about 11,000 lottery machines across Michigan are being replaced with new state-of-the-art terminals.
The new Michigan Lottery terminals are smaller, faster and easier to use, with features including touchpad screens and laser printing instead of keyboards and the usual ticket paper.
About 3,420 retailers statewide already have converted to the new machines.
State's first lottery ticket ...
Nov 14, 2008, 10:42 am - - Lottery News forum
Programming errors cause S.C. Lottery payout problems
Software bugs discovered in new system
The executive director of the South Carolina Lottery apologized to players Wednesday, a week after software glitches caused some lottery tickets to not be paid correctly.
Ernie Passailaigue, who heads the lottery, said a myriad of problems surfaced last week but have since been fixed. He said the problems stem from the installation of a new software system.
Some game tickets from the lottery's former game contractor didn't scan properly, he said, a ...
Nov 14, 2008, 9:42 am - - Lottery News forum
