This summer, the Nebraska Lottery will be upgrading equipment at over 1,150 retailers, providing several benefits for lottery retailers and players.

The centerpiece of the conversion is the new Altura GT1200 lottery terminal provided by GTECH Corporation. The Altura is state-of-the-art technology, making it faster both for the clerk in selecting transactions and printing Lotto tickets. Each terminal will be connected via secure satellite or 3G wireless links to the central processing system.

One of the new features that customers will notice is a 17-inch multimedia display that provides customer transaction details, jackpots amounts, and other lottery information. Additionally, a new "Check-A-Ticket" device will allow players to identify winning Lotto and Scratch tickets before presenting them for payment.

Nebraska Lottery Director Jim Haynes stated that the equipment upgrades will allow the Lottery to provide a new level of service to players. "The lottery industry is driven by technology, and we're very excited to use a system that takes advantage of the latest innovations," said Haynes. "With our new terminal system, we will continue to provide the Scratch and Lotto games our customers expect. The new system also gives us many options for future products that we think will resonate with our players."

Installation of the new terminals has begun, and retailers will have both old and new terminals at their stores until the new system is activated on June 26. The terminal rollout has been designed to minimize service downtime, so players should be able to purchase their favorite Nebraska Lottery games like Powerball and Nebraska Pick 5 without interruption.

The current terminal system has been in place since 2004. In May 2010, the Nebraska Lottery issued a request for proposals for a new unified network system. Submitted proposals were evaluated by a team of seven reviewers from the Lottery and outside sources. In August 2010, GTECH Corporation was selected to provide all hardware, software, equipment, and services related to the Lottery's Instant and On-line gaming activities.

The contract with GTECH is expected to generate increased revenues on behalf of the Nebraska Lottery. "Selecting GTECH as our unified gaming contractor fits the mission of the Nebraska Lottery to generate proceeds for good causes, while providing quality entertainment options to Nebraskans," said Haynes. "Their proposal included many benefits that will allow us to continue to support the environment, education, the Nebraska State Fair, and compulsive gamblers assistance."

(Click to display full-size in gallery)New technology, like big color screens and automatic ticket checkers, is at the heart of the upgrades coming to 1,150 lottery retailers throughout Nebraska this Summer.