The Illinois Lottery's transition to a new central gaming system has caused trouble for some retailers, including overpayments to winners.
The ticket validation issue was discovered Feb. 20 and resolved the same day, said Illinois Lottery spokesman Jason Schaumburg, who didn't know how much extra money was awarded.
Stores that paid out incorrect winnings can be reimbursed if they submit a written account of the error to the central lottery office in Springfield, said Bill Fleischli, the executive vice president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association and Illinois Association of Convenience Stores.
Most retailers only cash winning tickets that are less than $600, the lottery said. Winners otherwise have to claim prizes at a prize center or contact the lottery directly by mail or through the phone.
Some retailers also reported that they were unable to sell scratch-off tickets through vending machines, Fleischli said. The issue won't be resolved until the machines are replaced, but retailers can sell the tickets through a clerk, he said.
Many Chicago-area stores have received updated machines, but locations downstate are still waiting, Fleischli said. Illinois Lottery officials plan to have the machines replaced by April, he said.
"A few of our members have expressed a concern to me, and I have expressed it to the lottery," Fleischli said. "They are working as hard as they can to get these machines installed and operating."
The issues arose as the lottery was installing new equipment and launching a new website and app.
"This is one of the largest technology and retail transitions ever undertaken by any U.S. lottery, and we're confident this will significantly improve the lottery experience for players and businesses when it is fully implemented," Schaumburg said.
Almost inexcusable in this day and age.
BTW: Just read an anonymous person just claimed the SCEL $1.6 billion lottery ticket. Wished it said their age or something.
They sure have a lot of problems in that State.
The new machines the clerks use are slower than the older machines and also most places now require you to fill out a play slips for pick three and four which annoys a lot of players. The instant lottery machines are fine and I have encountered no problems using them.
Yeah the new machines are slow and if your the first person of day it takes minutes for ticket to print
I dont mind the play slip thing since I always used slips for my numbers and was annoyed behind a pick 3/4 player with no slip in past
The instant machines were still down in my area or not available. They just installed new one at store near my house but it didn't work (Wouldn't accept money) so they have to have people come back out for it
And they just got the scanner working though some places still have no scanners functioning
Indeed sully.
So much for high tech........these new machines take Pick 3 and Pick 4 slips, or so the story goes, but if you play a Pick 3 along with a Pick3 front or back pair on the same play slip the machine gives you an "insufficient funds" message, even with $2 in.
I would consider Camelot Illinois roll out of the new IL. Lottery a failure.
I buy my tickets at a gas station run by Mr Patel. He has two and sometimes three people at the counter, and is one of the most devoted Illinois lottery ticket sellers one can ever find. He literally has one clerk devoted to the lottery machine at any time
The other day he threw his hands up in frustration at how slow the new online ticket terminals are. Printing Pick 3 and pick 4 tickets takes 4x longer under Camelot and the new machines than it used to. Many times a customer will dutifully fill the slips as required, but the scanner will reject them for odd reasons and Patel's clerks have to enter the digits by hand.
The store has found a way out of the mess. During peak times, they stick an "out of order " sign on the lotto machine. They figure it is more profitable to sell other merchandise than be slowed down by the lotto terminal.
While their new web site is glitzy and all, the Camelot roll in will cost the state of Illinois millions of dollars in lost sales. The biggest flop was the introduction of "high tech" terminals that cant read wager slips half of the time. When they read the slips, they take 4x to 5x the time it took the old terminals to read, thereby slowing down other sales significantly
Illinois lottery should go Anonymous A.S.A.P.
I think the new lottery machines will be wonderful once all the bugs are worked out. And I like the fact that you can go and put your own numbers in as the tellers use to do. It's quicker in my opinion than standing in line waiting. Plus, I don't see what is so complicated. Because if you can work and navigate a so-called smart phone, it should be a piece of cake.
Honestly, if I were them, I would shut down the lottery everywhere until it gets fixed