RALEIGH, N.C. -- Linq3, creator of Play at the Pump technology, and the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL), have announced that their partnership has passed the milestone of $1 million in lottery sales.
The program is less than two years old and began with seven participating retailers.
While Play at the Pump launched in a trial mode with a select group of retailers, the solution has grown to more than 190 convenience stores across the Tar Heel state. And with recent partnership announcements with NCR and Verifone, Linq3 looks to further expand the North Carolina Education Lottery’s reach, it said.
“This is a nice milestone to reach in our partnership with NCEL,” said Daniel Cage, president and founder of Linq3, Atlanta. “Think about today’s convenience economy. We rely on Uber for cab rides and Airbnb for lodging. So what does Uber look like for the lottery? Our technology helps lotteries and retailers answer that question. Play at the Pump helps them modernize their distribution, expand their reach and offer new players a convenient way to play.”
Play at the Pump lottery transaction occurs in a matter of seconds, including age verification, payment and receipt.
“At Murphy USA, we serve about 1.65 million customers per day at our fueling islands. When you consider that 65% to 72% of these customers never come inside the store, that’s 1 million customers who never come into our locations. Play at the Pump helps us reach these potential players by meeting them where they are, right at the pump,” said Steven Desautels, senior category manager for Murphy USA, El Dorado, Ark.
Linq3’s lottery playing platform will soon add Verifone Commander to its pump POS/site controller integration, with NCR’s RPOS completing the set by year end. This will position NCEL and Linq3 to access more than 95% of the retail gasoline sector. Specifically, the Verifone integration is expected to bring Play at the Pump to hundreds more of the more than 3,000 North Carolina convenience stores.
“Every ticket the lottery sells helps to raise more money for education in North Carolina,” said Alice Garland, executive director of the North Carolina Education Lottery, Raleigh. “Our partnership with Linq3 adds a way to buy a ticket for Powerball, Mega Millions and Carolina Cash 5 that didn’t exist before. Using Linq3’s new technology to make playing the lottery a convenience at a gas pump will help the lottery continue to improve its performance.”
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