Lottery Ticket Vending Machines
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: April 23, 2010
After a record number of Powerball sales this week comes more news from the Arkansas Lottery front.
Yesterday alone 494-thousand Powerball tickets were sold in the Natural State and during the draw period for that big 258-million-dollar jackpot, 804-thousand tickets were sold in Arkansas.
Now buying Powerball tickets could be even easier. Lottery vending machines could be coming to a store near you.
Right now there are 100 such machines which have been bought by the Lottery Commission and are being tested, but not everyone sees the convenience as a good idea.
Lottery Executive Director Ernie Passailaigue says the contract approved by the Lottery Commission last year approved the purchase of 100 machines where you can put money in and either punch a number for a scratch-off ticket or a random pick draw game.
"You insert your driver's license that determines age verification," Psssailaigue explains.
And that age verification is just one problem the conservative group Family Council says it has with these machines.
"If you think about it, we don't sell cigarettes out of vending machines and we don't sell beer out of vending machines. Why that is because people will buy it who shouldn't be buying it," says Jerry Cox with Family Council. "You may be able to grab anyone's driver's license and put it in there you can do that now."
Passailaigue says they have already spent two-million-dollars on these machines. They are now being tested at a warehouse. His plan is to put them in places that don't currently sell tickets to expand the business.
"By way of example we might put one in Little Rock Airport."
And what he refers to as big box retailers like a Wal-Mart. KARK 4 has spoken to one representative who plans to introduce a bill in the next session banning the use of these machines in Arkansas. Passailaigue says that would be costly.
"If the legislature in its wisdom want to do away with it, it means millions lost in scholarships," he says.
The machines are in use in other states including North Carolina.
Passailaigue says he didn't know when the testing would be complete and exactly when we will see the machines in use.
Yesterday alone 494-thousand Powerball tickets were sold in the Natural State and during the draw period for that big 258-million-dollar jackpot, 804-thousand tickets were sold in Arkansas.
Now buying Powerball tickets could be even easier. Lottery vending machines could be coming to a store near you.
Right now there are 100 such machines which have been bought by the Lottery Commission and are being tested, but not everyone sees the convenience as a good idea.
Lottery Executive Director Ernie Passailaigue says the contract approved by the Lottery Commission last year approved the purchase of 100 machines where you can put money in and either punch a number for a scratch-off ticket or a random pick draw game.
"You insert your driver's license that determines age verification," Psssailaigue explains.
And that age verification is just one problem the conservative group Family Council says it has with these machines.
"If you think about it, we don't sell cigarettes out of vending machines and we don't sell beer out of vending machines. Why that is because people will buy it who shouldn't be buying it," says Jerry Cox with Family Council. "You may be able to grab anyone's driver's license and put it in there you can do that now."
Passailaigue says they have already spent two-million-dollars on these machines. They are now being tested at a warehouse. His plan is to put them in places that don't currently sell tickets to expand the business.
"By way of example we might put one in Little Rock Airport."
And what he refers to as big box retailers like a Wal-Mart. KARK 4 has spoken to one representative who plans to introduce a bill in the next session banning the use of these machines in Arkansas. Passailaigue says that would be costly.
"If the legislature in its wisdom want to do away with it, it means millions lost in scholarships," he says.
The machines are in use in other states including North Carolina.
Passailaigue says he didn't know when the testing would be complete and exactly when we will see the machines in use.
