Replacing over 90,000 pieces of equipment statewide — no small feat

By Kate Northrop

The Ohio Lottery is due for a major upgrade to its gaming technology and machines this month, which will replace over 90,000 pieces of lottery equipment statewide.

The Ohio Lottery will embark on a major transformation of its gaming system and lottery equipment, marking its first major system overhaul in nearly 20 years.

Beginning this October, the Lottery will start rolling out an entirely new gaming system and all-new state-of-the-art lottery equipment across the state, a project called "The Upgrade," whose scale rivals the last major conversion of 2008.

"Technology has changed immensely since the Lottery's last gaming conversion in 2008, so we are proud to be able to upgrade the experience of playing the Ohio Lottery for our players and our retailer network," Ohio Lottery Director Michelle Gillcrist said in a press release.

Players can expect a more modern experience with the new system, which will launch in phases. Some Ohio players may even begin seeing the new self-serve vending machines already being installed at retailers this month.

The new PlayCentral kiosks will feature vibrant touch screens with more responsive display changes to better align with the American with Disabilities Act, a shopping cart feature to purchase multiple games in a single transaction, and flexible payment options, including cash, credit, or debit with no minimum purchase.

Existing lottery self-serve lottery kiosks will remain fully operational until they are swapped out. The new vending machines, once installed, will only conduct cash sales of scratch-off games until the new gaming system goes live in Spring 2027. The Lottery advised that some kiosks may be entirely offline before the penultimate transition.

Players can still visit a counter to purchase all lottery games in the meantime.

After the official launch of the gaming system, the vending machines will offer all games, accept all payment options, be able to scan winning tickets, accept coupons, and validate tickets and vouchers.

Some self-service kiosks will continue to be swapped out through Summer 2027, with the Lottery emphasizing that the shift requires tandem use of the old and new systems while technicians bring new equipment online.

The scale of the project is massive. When fully complete, the Lottery will have replaced more than 12,000 retailer terminals and more than 9,000 pieces of self-serve equipment, as well as associated ticket checkers, cashless pin pads, and digital advertising displays — a total of more than 90,000 pieces of equipment statewide.

"We expect there will be minor disruptions as this is a complicated technology-driven process, but we have prepared carefully for the transformation with Scientific Games," Gillcrist explained. "We are confident that once complete, our players will get the full experience of a system that is state-of-the-art and will continue to support our contribution to the education fund."

To help players and retailers navigate the transition, the Lottery is offering dedicated web resources for both groups, a rapid response team for troubleshooting, and additional call center staff. Players holding legacy tickets purchased before the switch will still be able to scan them, cash out winners, and enter non-winning tickets into their online rewards accounts as usual.

Development of the new system began in 2024, when Scientific Games was awarded the gaming system contract through a competitive bidding process. Scientific Games will officially take over operations as the Ohio Lottery's gaming vendor beginning in Spring 2027.