Heads up for users of the PA lottery mobile app.Prev TopicNext Topic

• hypersoniq

  

  Pennsylvania
  United States
  Member #1,340
  April 6, 2003
  2,939 Posts
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  Mar 8, 2026, 12:25 pm

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  They now require you to be a member in their VIP club (where they can identify you) to use the stupid ticket checker in the app... don't bother, they are probably trying to track down people who do not pay taxes on the small hits (or is everyone reporting that $2.00 "win" on a $5 scratch off?) or some other such nefarious nonsense. Maybe they are just gathering data on play habits, but it is a shady move regardless. I can wait to hit the kiosk which has no such login requirement.

  Now it doesn't feel as intrusive scraping their site for results to make up for their lack of an actual API...

  Have an EXCELlent day!
• OhSoClose

  

  Tyrone, PA
  United States
  Member #198,209
  May 15, 2019
  305 Posts
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  Mar 8, 2026, 12:48 pm

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  I noticed that a couple weeks ago. Super annoying. When I go to play, I usually get a scratcher to do in the car and then check it while I'm still in the parking lot so I can cash it in while I'm still there. Never been a problem before but now it says you gotta log in to use the ticket checker. I said a bad word, or two.

  So tell me PA, you want more money from me but you decided the best way to do that was to make it more annoying to play. How do you think that's going to go?
• OhSoClose

  

  Tyrone, PA
  United States
  Member #198,209
  May 15, 2019
  305 Posts
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  Mar 8, 2026, 1:25 pm

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  Just remembered the most annoying part. There isn't even a way to tell it to remember your credentials,. You have to type in your full username and password every single time you want to use the ticket checker. Whoever came up with that bright idea needs their head examined!
• Justing618

  

  Baltimore
  United States
  Member #221,592
  March 26, 2022
  999 Posts
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  Mar 8, 2026, 3:33 pm

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  Seems like another way to gather your personal information. I imagine the stores have scanners so you don't need to go through the hassle. Everything seems to be turning into a racket anymore....Good luck though.
• OhSoClose

  

  Tyrone, PA
  United States
  Member #198,209
  May 15, 2019
  305 Posts
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  Mar 8, 2026, 4:19 pm

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  Sometimes I read the posts where people say the lottery is crooked and stacking the deck. It's easy to say no they don't need to do that, the odds are high enough in the games to keep them from needing to put their thumb on the scale. And then PA turns around and does something in their app that certainly appears to have zero benefit to the user, makes it harder for the casual user to benefit from it, and as hypersoniq and Justing618 said seems to be nothing but shady. Disappointing to be sure. Fundamental to confidence in playing is the belief that the game you are playing is fair. This really makes you wonder.
• Justing618

  

  Baltimore
  United States
  Member #221,592
  March 26, 2022
  999 Posts
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  Mar 8, 2026, 4:27 pm

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  In response to OhSoClose

  Quote: Originally posted by OhSoClose on Mar 8, 2026

  Sometimes I read the posts where people say the lottery is crooked and stacking the deck. It's easy to say no they don't need to do that, the odds are high enough in the games to keep them from needing to put their thumb on the scale. And then PA turns around and does something in their app that certainly appears to have zero benefit to the user, makes it harder for the casual user to benefit from it, and as hypersoniq and Justing618 said seems to be nothing but shady. Disappointing to be sure. Fundamental to confidence in playing is the belief that the game you are playing is fair. This really makes you wonder.

  I question this all the time @integrity. Then all the oopsies throughout the years. Keep adding up.......
• Tucker Black

  

  Colorado
  United States
  Member #173,294
  February 25, 2016
  1,134 Posts
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  Mar 8, 2026, 5:31 pm

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  The Colorado Lottery app doesn't even tell me how much a winning ticket is worth. It just says "Congratulations! You may be a winner! Go visit a retailer".

  The reason why I use it is to enter non-winning tickets in their second-chance drawing. Obviously I have to be logged in to do that. Otherwise, they wouldn't know who won should they draw my ticket.
• hypersoniq

  

  Pennsylvania
  United States
  Member #1,340
  April 6, 2003
  2,939 Posts
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  Mar 9, 2026, 10:01 am

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  In response to Tucker Black

  Quote: Originally posted by Tucker Black on Mar 8, 2026

  The Colorado Lottery app doesn't even tell me how much a winning ticket is worth. It just says "Congratulations! You may be a winner! Go visit a retailer".

  The reason why I use it is to enter non-winning tickets in their second-chance drawing. Obviously I have to be logged in to do that. Otherwise, they wouldn't know who won should they draw my ticket.

  The PA lottery already has a VIP club for second chance drawings and online bets, the issue is with them forcing people to create a VIP account just to check a ticket.

  Not sure what their end game is with this change...

  Have an EXCELlent day!
• OhSoClose

  

  Tyrone, PA
  United States
  Member #198,209
  May 15, 2019
  305 Posts
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  Mar 10, 2026, 10:21 am

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  Just got something weird on the PA Lottery app. I bought 2 of the new $100 Blowout scratchers and did them in the car. Neither one appeared to be a winner but I didn't feel like taking them back into the retailer to check. Scanned them on the app when I got home and both are saying TAKE TICKET TO A LOTTERY RETAILER. I've never seen that message before. It's always been Sorry, not a winner or Congratulations you won $X. I scanned an old Pick4 losing ticket to see if it was saying take all tickets to retailer, but I got the expected Sorry, not a winner.

  It implies that both of my scratchers are winners, but neither one appears to be. It would be nice, obviously, if these both won, but if this means PA is doing what TB said Colorado does and app no longer shows you the won amount, to me that makes the app even more useless. Force me to log in, then tell me I have to go back to a retailer to find out how much. C'mon.
• OhSoClose

  

  Tyrone, PA
  United States
  Member #198,209
  May 15, 2019
  305 Posts
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  Mar 11, 2026, 11:39 am

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  Update on the PA Lottery app. Bought 2 of the new $5 100 Blowouts yesterday and the app said TAKE TICKET TO RETAILER even though they looked like losers. So I took them to the the place I bought them and asked the clerk about it. She said I was third person this morning to ask that question. Apparently the app doesn't like the new scratchers and says TAKE TO RETAILER whether they are winners or losers. Older tickets aren't affected just the ones that came out this week. Way to go, PA!