ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The New Mexico Lottery (NMLA) is piloting a program that allows players who purchase gasoline with a debit card to make lottery purchases at the pump. Thirteen retailers with about 100 fuel dispensers are participating.
Latitudes in Rio Rancho and Murphy Express in southwestern Albuquerque were the first fuel stations to offer Play at the Pump on July 25. Other Murphy Express locations are expected to begin later this week.
The pilot program uses software developed by technology company Linq3 to provide lottery players the opportunity to purchase Powerball and Mega Millions tickets at the pump when fueling up.
Atlanta-based Linq3 is now integrated in both Gilbarco’s Passport and Verifone’s Commander gas pump POS/forecourt controller systems, and it will add NCR’s RPOS by the end of 2016.
Lottery purchases are subject to limitations, including age verification. Other responsible play limitations include a weekly purchase limit of $75 and a daily spending limit of $20 per debit card. Also, the player must purchase fuel and can use only a debit card.
Players who provide phone numbers will receive Quick Pick lottery numbers and win notifications directly on their mobile phones.
“The world is changing, and lottery players have told us they want more convenient ways to buy our jackpot games. We want to see if there is a benefit to players through accessibility and how they will respond to this new opportunity,” said David Barden, NMLA CEO.
In-store lottery sales have increased by more than 4% in other states that have launched the program, in part due to jackpot advertising players see at the pump.
“This is a tremendous benefit for both players and retailers, and this pilot program will help us determine the long-term feasibility of these types of sales initiatives in the future,” said Wendy Ahlm, director of advertising and marketing.
Four other states sell lottery at the pump: California, North Carolina, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
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