SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- This fall, the California Lottery is launching Play at the Pump, a five-month pilot program at approximately 100 to 150 retail gas station lottery locations in Los Angeles and Sacramento.
Customers will be able to purchase Quick Pick SuperLotto Plus, Powerball and Mega Millions draw-game lottery tickets at the gasoline dispenser. They can buy $5, $10 or $20 worth of tickets, with a $50 limit per week. There is a $1 flat transaction fee not based on the number of tickets purchased.
Since Play at the Pump is a “ticketless” system, players cannot use cash and must use a bank debit or credit card to match and identify a potential winner. EBT, prepaid cards and gift cards are not accepted). Players must also purchase fuel.
For all prizes of $599 and less, the amount will automatically be deposited back into the account associated with the credit card or debit card used to make the purchase. For prizes of $600 and more, players will need to bring their card and identification to any of the California Lottery's nine District Offices located throughout the state.
There is an “age gate” at the pump. Players must swipe a California driver license or state issued ID. The magnetic stripe verifies age.
"Californians, we have something to do, we are very, very busy people. So this is just another way for them to buy the tickets without having to walk into the store," California Lottery spokesperson Russ Lopez told ABC7Chicago.
"This is a quick 20-second transaction," Randall Lex, vice president of business development for New York City-based Linq3, developer of Play at the Pump, told the news outlet.
The California Lottery is a $5 billion enterprise based in Sacramento. It is one of the few state agencies that is a revenue generator, not accepting taxpayer dollars. Its mission is to provide supplemental funding to California schools while simultaneously supporting local communities. More than 95 cents of every dollar spent by our players goes back to local communities in the form of contributions to public schools and colleges, prizes and retail compensation.
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