Scientific Games completed conversion of Iowa Lottery’s central system

2011-07-22

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(US).- Scientific Games announced the successful completion of its central system conversion for the Iowa Lottery. The conversion of the central system included a suite of new products and capabilities, and was completed last July 3, with sales and operations proceeding as normal by mid-morning.

Service requests to the Scientific Games National Response Center were consistent with a typical Sunday and have remained at normal levels. The complex conversion executed by Scientific Games and Iowa Lottery staff featured the implementation of a custom-developed lottery gaming system and entailed the installation of a new range of lottery equipment at more than 2,400 retail locations across the state.

In addition to new retailer terminals, the conversion also included enhancements for Iowa Lottery retailers and players, including a digital in-store advertising system, player self-service ticket checkers and a new iPhone application. As a result of the conversion, the Iowa Lottery now benefits from Scientific Games’ dual data center architecture, an approach that features fully redundant processing in two separate locations.

“The partnership between Scientific Games and the Iowa Lottery on this conversion project has set a new bar for the lottery industry,” said William Huntley, President of the Lottery Systems Group for Scientific Games. “Given the conversion success, the Lottery is well positioned to continue to grow sales and revenue, enhance player engagement and boost player confidence and security.”

The new technologies launched during the conversion include: Smaller-footprint WAVE terminals with larger screens and a new touch-screen interface; Lottery InMotion digital in-store lottery advertising system with 19-inch widescreen displays and window signs displaying current jackpot values; as well as Player self-service ticket checkers and related two-dimension bar codes that simplify ticket scanning and validation.

In conjunction with the system conversion activities, Scientific Games and the Iowa Lottery developed and launched an enhanced version of the Lottery’s VIP Club website along with a new Points for Prizes online web store.

"As a result of the teamwork and collaborative efforts between Scientific Games and the Iowa Lottery, this central system conversion was completed as scheduled and we look forward to continuing to grow sales and proceeds for our vital state causes,” said Terry Rich, CEO of the Iowa Lottery. “The new products, capabilities and convenience will not only enhance the experience for existing players, but will also help engage Iowa’s next generation of players.”

In calendar year 2010, the Iowa Lottery generated approximately us$ 256 million in retail sales, of which approximately us$ 92 million were derived from online sales.