DALLAS -- 7-Eleven Inc. said that it has forged an exclusive partnership with E Squared Technologies Inc., a Dallas-area startup company that has developed YooLotto, which it is said is the "first and only" application for Texas Powerball and Megamillions lottery players that delivers real-time, personalized lottery results.
This free app allows players to manage their tickets and notifies them within minutes of the drawing about whether they have won. As a bonus, players receive product coupons and information on other deals at 7-Eleven's franchised and company-operated stores in Texas.
YooLotto has announced that version one of its lottery-management app is now available for download for both iOS and Android devices.
After downloading the YooLotto app to their device, players purchase their lottery tickets and take a photograph of the tickets with their smart phones.
YooLotto stores individual ticket information and sends personalized, real-time drawing results directly to the user's smart phone. It then leverages location-awareness technology to guide these players to the closest YooLotto-sponsored retailer where they can collect their winnings and claim great offers from their favorite brands. Also, YooLotto's intelligent coupon platform provides consumer brands with a new way to micro-target their customers through intuitive coupons, promotions and other special offers.
YooLotto's patent-pending technology uses GPS technology to direct players to the closest participating retailer to collect their winnings or try their luck again.
Through mobile coupons and promotions, every notification received creates awareness of deals offered in convenience stores.
Currently supporting Powerball and Megamillions games in Texas, YooLotto is planning a national rollout for the multistate games later this year.
"We wanted to use technology to make the process of keeping track of lottery tickets easy and more convenient, while at the same time reducing the amount of players leaving money on the table," Yoo said. "We also felt it was important to reward people for frequent play--for believing in the possibility of that life-changing jackpot. That's why we're partnering with 7-Eleven and other brands sold inside 7-Eleven to give lottery players great deals on their favorite products so that every ticket is a winner."
Jesus Delgado-Jenkins, 7-Eleven's executive vice president for merchandising, marketing, logistics and innovation, said that working with YooLotto is an ideal way for the company to strengthen its relationship with lottery players and to help grow its share of the $4.1 billion lottery pie in Texas.
"This partnership not only allows us to reward lottery players for redeeming their Texas Powerball and Megamillions tickets at 7-Eleven stores with exclusive deals and coupons, but it also establishes 7-Eleven as the lottery destination in Texas," he said.
YooLotto is the first application from co-founders Eric Yoo and Elmer Cha's E Squared Technologies; it was among 10 products included in the 2012 class at Tech Wildcatters, a Dallas-based, business-to-business startup accelerator.
"We have literally hundreds of applicants each year for our 12-week mentorship program," said Stewart Youngblood, program director at Tech Wildcatters. "And while a great idea and solid business plan are clearly prerequisites, ultimately people invest in people. That's what makes YooLotto so special. Eric and Elmer have the right dynamic internally, with investors, with our staff and with mentors. We chose them because we believe in their concept and in them. I'm confident YooLotto will be a huge success."
Dallas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,000 7-Eleven stores in North America. It has approximately 50,000 stores in 16 countries. During 2011, 7-Eleven stores generated total worldwide sales of nearly $76.6 billion.
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