The player convenience and support for health and safety protocols afforded by self-service have never been more relevant than they are today. IGT has been a partner to the Missouri Lottery since 1991. In 2019, as part of the current Facilities Management contract with the Lottery, IGT pledged to equip the Lottery’s GameTouch™ self-service Lottery Vending Machines (LVM) with cashless capabilities. Since go-live in July of 2020, cashless transactions have comprised over 5% of total LVM sales. The rollout of the cashless capability was also incredibly timely, executed throughout July and August 2020, a time of continued social distancing and heightened sensitivity for cleanliness and safety brought on by COVID-19.
Working in close collaboration, the Missouri Lottery and IGT staff put together a rollout plan for the new features to be added to the LVMs, incorporating the selection, contracting, and account setup with Worldpay -- a payment services provider. Guidance was provided on creating eye-catching and compelling animated “attract screen” ads and building interactive user interfaces to reinforce brand messaging and highlight purchase choices. Retail operators were provided with a “how-to” document to enable to them to help customers adapt to this new technology, and call center associates were provided a knowledge base in order to provide detailed assistance with cashless transaction inquiries.
All in all, over 800 self-service GameTouch™ 28 and GameTouch™ 20 vending machines at 440 locations throughout the state of Missouri were equipped with debit card and mobile pay acceptance, including 70 new GameTouch™ 20s. This is the fastest turn up of cashless in the field, with the units all enabled after go-live within 6 weeks, resulting in over 5% of sales coming from cashless transactions.
This project represents the first time that cashless payment devices have been retrofitted to GameTouch™ machines already deployed in the field. The machines were pre-wired to accommodate these cashless devices. The rollout was completed on time and within budget, and customer satisfaction is high. “Partnering with IGT to bring cashless payment to our LVMs has been a win for all. Our players have a flexible, convenient, and secure way to purchase their favorite games, our retailers can stay safe, save time, and increase their sales, and we can continue to deliver proceeds to public education in Missouri,” said May Scheve Reardon, Executive Director, Missouri Lottery.
Congratulations to the Missouri Lottery on the completion of this project!
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