Convenience stores worried about online lottery plan

Jan 17, 2012, 7:15 am (17 comments)

Illinois Lottery

Illinois convenience stores are bracing for a financial hit as sales of Illinois lottery tickets are set to go online later this year.

Lottery officials estimate the state will take in $150 million more annually once sales go online, and will attract hundreds of thousands of new players.

But Bill Fleischli, executive vice president of the Illinois Association of Convenience Stores, said those are players who will no longer frequent their corner store.

"They're actually going to reduce our foot traffic and our lottery sales, but also our ancillary sales," he said. "Because I think the people that come in to buy the lottery tickets, not on a regular basis, will stay home and buy them on the internet. That's what our members think."

Fleischli said convenience store employees are specially trained for age specific items such as cigarettes and lottery tickets, and questions how the state will patrol online sales. The state has promised a secure online system to prevent underage sales.

The U.S. Department of Justice last month issued a legal opinion on the matter, paving the way for online sales to begin in March.

WJBC

Comments

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

dunno how it owrks in states, but theres a significant fee for having a lotto terminal in your shop.  i imagine  then after taking all thses commissions, the lottery adds online sales and steals a fair chink of the customer base many retailers would have legitimate right to compensation.

Cletu$2's avatarCletu$2

Quote: Originally posted by savagegoose on Jan 17, 2012

dunno how it owrks in states, but theres a significant fee for having a lotto terminal in your shop.  i imagine  then after taking all thses commissions, the lottery adds online sales and steals a fair chink of the customer base many retailers would have legitimate right to compensation.

What makes you think that the convenience stores have a "legitimate right to compensation"? The state has a "legitimate right" to sell their tickets anywhere they want to,whether it be online or through convenience stores.The stores will still be compensated for those tickets that they do sell and given huge bonuses for selling jackpot winning tickets.I don't see where they are "owed" anything more.

OldSchoolPa's avatarOldSchoolPa

I was watching TV the other day and Illinois ran an advertisement for the new Powerball and the ad stated that it could now be played online.  The only word I said was, "HALLELUJAH!!!" 

Truthfully, savagegoose, I would only buy lottery tickets when I had to go to a convenience store...well those and perhaps gas if I needed gas and they sold gas (not all convenience stores sell gas).  Also, only when on a road trip would I might also purchase some bottle water or other beverage, but that is it.  I never gave convenience stores ancillary sales.  I travel outside of the country alot, sometimes for longer than 8 weeks at a time.  Since I could not purchase 6 months or even a year of advance plays online for Powerball, I often did not have a play in for all the drawings.  My goal is to always give myself a chance at winning, no matter how remote that chance may be.  So this is an excellent move that will benefit the true lottery player.  Will I still frequent my nearby convenience stores?  Why yes I will.  But I won't have to fire up my car just to go get my picks in every 15th drawing like in the past and this will save fuel and time.  So the Illinois lottery's move to bring all jackpot games online can be seen as a win-win situation for the environment.  People will consume less fuel driving just to play the lottery and less paper will be used since your numbers are online (you can print those pages out, but I am all in with the green thing and I just copy the data to my smartphone).  Lastly, I do not see this as a move to steal customer base as there are still lottery games that one can only play by visiting their nearby convenience store like scratch offs.  Anyone who argues against providing more convenience and flexibility for customers to play are out of touch like the folks who ran Circuit City (bankrupt), Countrywide (bankrupt), US Postal Service (should be bankrupt), American Airline (in bankruptcy), GM and Chrysler (government bailout saved the day otherwise they too were bankrupt) into the ground because those pinheads at the top did not have the foresight to see the changing consumer trends and preferences, and move to capitalize on those changing trends.  I guess it is always easier to maintain the status quo, and that is inline with the laws of physics on inertia which states that a body at rest will tend to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. I guess people just prefer to rely on how things used to be rather than come up with innovative ways to retool their businesses.  Oh well, I am happy as I have just purchased my Powerball subscription just a few minutes ago.  HALLELUJAH!!!  And should I win, I will give a press conference touting the online subscription option that made my win possible (if it comes that way).  I will still buy the occasional own pick or even quick pick ticket when the feeling hits me.

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

here its $40k per lotto terminal. so two in your store= $80k.  hows it work in usa? if anyone wants a terminal, lotto comes over and gives em out free?

 

anyhow im not saying i wouldnt buy online. , hell, given all the theiving, and corrupt behaviour i see form store clerks, id jump at online purchases. Its just if i was a store owner. id want to know my purchase of an income stream, which a lotto terminal is, is going to reamin producing.

 

the way you state it the comission has a right to start or stop selling  tickets at a wim whenever they like!

they could just as easily shut 1 store down and open a  new one. on their whims? if they wanted they could shut EVERY store sales state wide, and only sell online. and tough to people who bought the terminals?

if they so chose?

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by savagegoose on Jan 17, 2012

here its $40k per lotto terminal. so two in your store= $80k.  hows it work in usa? if anyone wants a terminal, lotto comes over and gives em out free?

 

anyhow im not saying i wouldnt buy online. , hell, given all the theiving, and corrupt behaviour i see form store clerks, id jump at online purchases. Its just if i was a store owner. id want to know my purchase of an income stream, which a lotto terminal is, is going to reamin producing.

 

the way you state it the comission has a right to start or stop selling  tickets at a wim whenever they like!

they could just as easily shut 1 store down and open a  new one. on their whims? if they wanted they could shut EVERY store sales state wide, and only sell online. and tough to people who bought the terminals?

if they so chose?

I don't know for sure but I was under the impression that here the Lottery puts terminals in stores and pays them a percentage of sales to sell tickets for them and bonuses for selling winning tickets.

Cletu$2's avatarCletu$2

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jan 17, 2012

I don't know for sure but I was under the impression that here the Lottery puts terminals in stores and pays them a percentage of sales to sell tickets for them and bonuses for selling winning tickets.

I Agree! That's the same impression that I have.

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

ahh there you go. its why i was so hot under the collar about it.   indeed if its no cost to store owners then yeah, i have no problem with  state lottos doing what ever they want.

here i know not only do you have to pay, but thewy do a traffic survey, for cars and walk past business, and wont sell a machine too close to an existing machine license unless the traffic warrants it.

some people apply for one  and are refused.

Cletu$2's avatarCletu$2

Quote: Originally posted by savagegoose on Jan 17, 2012

ahh there you go. its why i was so hot under the collar about it.   indeed if its no cost to store owners then yeah, i have no problem with  state lottos doing what ever they want.

here i know not only do you have to pay, but thewy do a traffic survey, for cars and walk past business, and wont sell a machine too close to an existing machine license unless the traffic warrants it.

some people apply for one  and are refused.

It seems that Australia does just about everything different than the U.S..

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by Cletu$2 on Jan 18, 2012

It seems that Australia does just about everything different than the U.S..

I hope we don't have to send Quigley back down there again.

Cletu$2's avatarCletu$2

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jan 18, 2012

I hope we don't have to send Quigley back down there again.

If we do they'll probably put another shrimp on the barbie for him ~;)

alottoalex

if you lived in a differen state could you  play the illinois 3and 4 digit on line went that start playing on line in march????????   does any one knows..

kapla

Quote: Originally posted by OldSchoolPa on Jan 17, 2012

I was watching TV the other day and Illinois ran an advertisement for the new Powerball and the ad stated that it could now be played online.  The only word I said was, "HALLELUJAH!!!" 

Truthfully, savagegoose, I would only buy lottery tickets when I had to go to a convenience store...well those and perhaps gas if I needed gas and they sold gas (not all convenience stores sell gas).  Also, only when on a road trip would I might also purchase some bottle water or other beverage, but that is it.  I never gave convenience stores ancillary sales.  I travel outside of the country alot, sometimes for longer than 8 weeks at a time.  Since I could not purchase 6 months or even a year of advance plays online for Powerball, I often did not have a play in for all the drawings.  My goal is to always give myself a chance at winning, no matter how remote that chance may be.  So this is an excellent move that will benefit the true lottery player.  Will I still frequent my nearby convenience stores?  Why yes I will.  But I won't have to fire up my car just to go get my picks in every 15th drawing like in the past and this will save fuel and time.  So the Illinois lottery's move to bring all jackpot games online can be seen as a win-win situation for the environment.  People will consume less fuel driving just to play the lottery and less paper will be used since your numbers are online (you can print those pages out, but I am all in with the green thing and I just copy the data to my smartphone).  Lastly, I do not see this as a move to steal customer base as there are still lottery games that one can only play by visiting their nearby convenience store like scratch offs.  Anyone who argues against providing more convenience and flexibility for customers to play are out of touch like the folks who ran Circuit City (bankrupt), Countrywide (bankrupt), US Postal Service (should be bankrupt), American Airline (in bankruptcy), GM and Chrysler (government bailout saved the day otherwise they too were bankrupt) into the ground because those pinheads at the top did not have the foresight to see the changing consumer trends and preferences, and move to capitalize on those changing trends.  I guess it is always easier to maintain the status quo, and that is inline with the laws of physics on inertia which states that a body at rest will tend to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. I guess people just prefer to rely on how things used to be rather than come up with innovative ways to retool their businesses.  Oh well, I am happy as I have just purchased my Powerball subscription just a few minutes ago.  HALLELUJAH!!!  And should I win, I will give a press conference touting the online subscription option that made my win possible (if it comes that way).  I will still buy the occasional own pick or even quick pick ticket when the feeling hits me.

I agree with alot of what you are getting at here.  Maybe the lottery will issue 'lottery debit like cards' at stores and you then can 'load' money into them and then if you hit they will 'credit' the money onto the card and you can just go a store which has the lottery and they will give you cash off of it. 

The idea that I wouldn't have to make a special 'trip' to play is the best part.

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

im gonna give it another guess, but I would assume the diff state lotto's have a deal not to move in on ea others rackets, much like the mob  have agreements. so no selling tickets of your state games over  the border taking other states customers.

so online will only be available for residents of the  state in which the tickets where issued.

NightStalker's avatarNightStalker

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jan 17, 2012

I don't know for sure but I was under the impression that here the Lottery puts terminals in stores and pays them a percentage of sales to sell tickets for them and bonuses for selling winning tickets.

I had a convenient store for about 2 years and the Ohio Lottery furnished all the equipment and we received a small commission for selling online and scratch off tickets and winning tickets.  The lottery was the only thing that kept us afloat for the first year.

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