Your local store may be sporting some new lottery equipment the next time you buy tickets.
We’re in the process of rolling out new self-service kiosks to 150 retail locations and new pull-tab vending machines in another 30 stores. All of the locations already sell lottery tickets, but the new equipment will provide additional convenience for customers AND employees.
You can see a couple of the new machines in the images at the top of this post! On the left is the new self-service kiosk at Jet Stop in Burlington, and on the right is the new pull-tab vending machine at Brew Oil in Correctionville.
What’s Behind This Move?
Retail studies today show that some customers prefer to make their purchases from another human being, while others want to use self-service. With new equipment in retail locations, you’ll have more options if you want to play the lottery.
The Iowa Lottery’s self-service kiosks allow you to buy lotto, scratch and InstaPlay tickets, while our pull-tab vending machines carry only that product. You of course can still buy tickets at the lottery terminal in stores.
The Timing Involved
We began installing 150 new self-service kiosks earlier this month, and when that rollout is complete in mid-January, we’ll have them in 360 locations. Installation of 30 new pull-tab vending machines began in late October and will be wrapped up by early next month, with pull-tabs being sold in a total of about 425 locations in Iowa.
The machines aren’t in all our retailers – lottery tickets are sold in about 2,500 businesses statewide. But we’ve done our best to identify the busy spots where additional equipment can help make buying tickets and checking prize results easier.
As we move ahead, we’ll continue to evaluate opportunities for other new equipment. But for now, maybe you’ll see a new lottery machine the next time you’re in your favorite local spot!