Lottery completes terminal conversion

By M. Scott Bowen, Lottery Commissioner

On April 19, as scheduled, the Lottery’s new computer system went live with very minimal interruptions in service to our players. We are extremely pleased with the smooth transition that was made, due in large part to the excellent cooperation you, our retailers, exercised.

As expected with the advanced technology provided by the new system, there are a few processing changes retailers are probably becoming accustomed to. Please remember the following changes from the old system:

• All tickets and transaction receipts now have a 19-digit control number. For example, 8123-012345677-112219.

• Retailers validating tickets produced on the old ISYS terminals must select the “Validate” button, then the “Old Ticket Validation” button. They can then scan the ticket’s barcode or manually enter the ticket control number. This feature is especially important, as all online game winners have one year from the draw date to claim their prize.

• Retailers can now view and print invoice reports for the last 52 weeks. The Invoice Screen displays the most recent 11 weeks (by week ending date) with the option to select “Other.” “Other” allows date entry for older invoice periods. The “Settled Pack” report is only available with the two most recent invoice reports. The current invoice is in the upper left of the Invoice Screen.

• Instant ticket orders shipped prior to April 18, 2009, must be confirmed by manually entering the Bill of Lading number. Press the “Instants” button, then “Delivery Confirmation” button, then key-in the BOL number.

• Game logos are now displayed on all wagers (except games in the Raffle series) instead of just the game names.

• Retailers with more than one Altura terminal must enter a clerk number that corresponds to the device number. For example, terminal 1999901 has clerk number 01 at terminal sign on.

• Wagers may be played for up to 60 draws through the terminal screens. Playslips for these additional drawings will be available in the near future. Up to 60 advance wagers can be purchased for Mega Millions, Classic Lotto 47, Fantasy 5, Daily 3, Daily 4, Keno and Club Keno.

The conversion process, which began last summer, was long and detailed, but we are confident the new changes will bring better service to our customers and convenience for our retailers. The Lottery appreciates your patience and looks forward to continuing our successful partnership to provide exceptional service to our customers.

LUCKY 7S RAFFLE: Congratulations to the retailers who sold top prizes in the Lucky 7s Raffle. Two top $700,000 prizes were sold at the Southfield Fuel Stop in Southfield and Wesco #23 in Ludington. 18 prizes worth $70,000 each were sold at the Red Wagon Shoppe in Troy; Fenton Party Store in Fenton; M59 & Ormond BP in White Lake; Buscemi’s in Rochester Hills; Head Coach Bar in Hamtramck; CVS #08157 in Redford; Speedway #5519 in Jackson; Ionia Shell #4380 in Ionia; Quality Dairy #15 in Haslett; TJ’s Party Store in Lincoln Park; Meijer #172 in Howell; Thrifty Convenience Store in Pontiac; Andy’s Market in Charlevoix; Ernie’s Beer & Wine in Clio; Monroe Mobil in Dearborn; Dominick’s Market in Saline; and two winning tickets were purchased at Ford Tel Service in Dearborn.

THE JACK: Club Keno players could see their winnings increased with the introduction of The Jack, an add-on game to Club Keno. The Jack gives players the opportunity to increase their winnings every time they play Club Keno.

For just $1 extra per draw, Club Keno players will mark the “YES” box in Section 1 of the Club Keno play slip and will then fill in the remaining sections to complete their wager. Seven Easy Pick numbers from 1-80 will be printed on the bottom of their ticket. Players win The Jack if they match all seven of their numbers to the Club Keno winning numbers drawn.

The most unique feature of The Jack is that the prize is a progressive jackpot. It starts at $2,000 and will increase after each draw until the jackpot is won. The more players that get into the game, the faster the jackpot grows. The jackpot could reach as high as $20,000 daily! The Jack will grow until someone matches all seven numbers and wins. When a lucky player matches all seven numbers to win the jackpot, The Jack prize will revert back to $2,000. Should multiple players win The Jack on a single draw, the prize will be split evenly among the winners.

This new addition to the wildly successful Club Keno promises to be a popular feature with players.

NEW INSTANTS: The $1,000,000 Sweepstakes promotion begins June 8th with the launch of three new instant games: $10 Instant Million; $5 Instant 200 Grand; and $2 Instant 20 Grand. In addition to top cash prizes of up to $1,000,000, non-winning tickets from all three games are eligible for entry into a sweepstakes for a second chance to win $1,000,000. Any combination of non-winning tickets totaling $20 is eligible for entry. From all entries, five finalists will be drawn to win $10,000. From those five finalists, one lucky player will be chosen to win the $1,000,000 grand prize.

Also arriving in June are two new $2 games: Musical Money launches on June 29 and features instant win music downloads for the first time on a Michigan Lottery gaming product. Nearly 2,000,000 downloads from the EMI Music catalog will be available to be won. The game also features a second chance contest to win a VIP Concert Experience for two and a premium guitar autographed by an EMI artist. Also arriving on June 29 is the Dream Cruise ticket. In addition to top cash prizes of $25,000, this game includes a second chance contest to win a Michigan-made 2010 Ford Mustang GT.

Over 95 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets is returned to the state in the form of contributions to the state School Aid Fund, prizes to players and commissions to retailers. In fiscal year 2008, the contribution to schools was $740.7 million. Since its inception in 1972, the Lottery has contributed more than $15 billion to education in Michigan.

For additional information, please visit the Lottery’s website at www.michigan.gov/lottery.