New Barcode Allows Self-Checking for Lottery Scratch Tickets


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For Immediate Release: March 25, 2011
Contact: Kelly Thompson, 773-5770 or kelly.thompson@state.sd.us
 
 
 
New Barcode Allows Self-Checking for Lottery Scratch Tickets
 
 
(PIERRE) –  A new barcode now being offered on some South Dakota Lottery instant scratch ticket games lets players check their tickets themselves to find out if they’ve won.
 
The barcode, called Failsafe®, is located in the ticket’s play area under the latex coating that a player “scratches” off to play the game. Once the player has uncovered the barcode, they can scan the ticket on the self-service ticket checkers at any lottery retailer. Previously, the self-service checkers could only scan lotto tickets.
 
Lottery executive director Norm Lingle says the Failsafe® barcode adds an extra layer of security and convenience for the public.
 
“Our players have really come to appreciate being able to scan their own lotto tickets to find out if they have a winner instead of relying on a clerk to tell them. We’ve had some questions asking why they couldn’t do the same with scratch tickets. Now with the Failsafe® barcode, they can,” Lingle said.
 
While all instant scratch tickets offered by the Lottery will eventually utilize the Failsafe® barcode, some tickets currently for sale now do not have the added feature and must still be checked by the retailer to see if they’re winners. The following games can NOT be checked with the self-service ticket checkers:
 
*     Bank Loot, Cash on the Spot, Cash Spectacular, Happy Camper, Money Jar, Holiday Cash, EZ Money, 6X the Money, Super Monopoly and Hot Line Slingo
 
All games now available for purchase not shown on that list can be scanned on the self-service ticket checkers. Lingle anticipates that those games not having the new barcode should be sold out by September; he says all new games printed by the Lottery from this point forward will have the Failsafe® barcode.
 
For more information on the South Dakota Lottery’s instant scratch ticket games, visit their website at http://lottery.sd.gov/.
 
 
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