The Pennsylvania Lottery is upgrading its computer system this week; a process that will affect some customers.
A PA Lottery machine and ATMs are located near the rear entrance to the Wawa store on Rt. 309 in Upper Saucon Township. (FILE PHOTO)
During the upgrade, which is scheduled to begin very early Tuesday morning, the Lottery will still be able to sell tickets for the Powerball, Mega Millions, Treasure Hunt, Cash 5 with Quick Cash, Match 6 Lotto, Cash4Life and the PICK family of games. However, players will not be able to buy Fast Play tickets or Draw Game tickets at lottery retail locations or online. The lottery has said that players can purchase Draw Game tickets in advance at retailers, as well as sign up for a subscription option for online players.
Players will be able to purchase Scratch-Off tickets at the counter and at vending machines at Lottery retailers only with cash, and winning tickets won’t be paid while the upgrade is in progress.
Completion of the upgrade is expected to take until late in the day on Tuesday, March 19, the Lottery said in a news release.
The Lottery said that due to the upgrade, claims on winning prizes may take a few weeks longer than usual to process. However, officials expect that processing times will return to normal in April.
According to the news release, the upgrade to the computer system is part of a modernization project that began with vending equipment upgrades at retail locations. The Lottery also plans to roll out new digital signage at retailers, which total more than 10,000 statewide. The new system is expected to improve the Lottery’s operating efficiency and make it more user-friendly, officials said.
“The Pennsylvania Lottery is working to upgrade vending equipment, improve our technology and debut many new features that will improve the playing experience for our players–and this upgrade is one part of that effort,” said Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne, who heads the Pennsylvania Lottery, which is a bureau within the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. “This phase of our project is mainly taking place behind the scenes, but it’s a big move for us to improve our business, expand sales and continue our mission of responsibly generating funding for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians,” he added.
For more information about the Lottery’s system upgrade, visit PAlottery.com/upgrade.
This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.
