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Saturday, November 15, 2008

NM Lottery To Start New Gaming System


Associated Press
      The New Mexico Lottery is promising better service and more information for players with a new system that will come online Sunday.
    The system is expected to make it easier for players to buy tickets and easier for 1,100 retailers around the state to sell the tickets. Advantages include easier-to-read tickets with larger, darker type and advertising monitors that will promote jackpots, new games and other information.
    The lottery also will begin installing self-service vending machines at various retailers across the state. The machines will sell 25 Scratcher games and tickets for drawings such as Powerball and Hot Lotto.
    The machines also will include scanners so that players can check their own tickets for prizes. Stand-alone scanners will be available at 500 retailers around the state early next year.
    Lottery officials said building the new system has been the lottery's most complex undertaking since its inception in 1996.
    "Turning on the system completes a four-year project to bring advanced lottery technology to New Mexico at lower costs," said lottery CEO Tom Romero. "It's key to helping the lottery enhance player safeguards, increase product visibility and control costs in a very competitive gaming market."
    The gaming system contract was awarded last November to Georgia-based Intralot. Over seven years, the lottery will pay Intralot a base price of 1.50 percent — or $18.2 million — on projected net sales of $1.15 billion.
    The lottery expects to save about $35.4 million over existing contract rates with Gtech, which had held the contract since the lottery's inception.
    The lottery cautioned that as with any technology transition, unanticipated issues could arise. Lottery workers will be testing the system's performance in the days following Sunday's launch.
    The lottery also expects transactions to take a little longer than usual after the system launches.
    "Retailers have been practicing on the new sales terminals for several weeks, but clerks might proceed slowly with their first few live transactions," Romero said. "We are asking players for their patience and support during what we expect will be a short learning curve."
    The lottery has set up a hotline for retailers in case they have questions.

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