Atlantic Lotto to launch lottery ticket vending machines

Nova Scotianswillsoon be able to buy lottery tickets from high-tech vending machines in convenient locations, as the Atlantic Lottery CorporationALCtries to "reach current and new customers."

By October 2017, ALC plans to roll out 25 self-serve terminals across Atlantic Canada, according to documents obtained by CBC News.

A request for proposals shows the lottery corporation "could manage a network of up to 150 self-serve terminals in the Atlantic market."

Scratching without chatting

The machines willbe rolled out "targeting grocery, liquor and mass-merchandisers stores," the document says.

Currently, draw tickets (such as Lotto 6/49) and scratch tickets are only available at kiosks or retail outlets staffed by employees. These new machines would be fully automated.

The machines would verify a purchaser's age using their driver's license.

Within the documentsthere is no indicationthat any kiosks would close, resulting in job losses. The document says "ALC views this technology as a growth opportunity."

Within the next year, the corporation will roll out 25 machines toassess the public's response and determine the best locations.

Constant loss of players

Documents released by ALC last year bemoaned a "constant loss of players" over the past decade.

The corporationlaunched a new crowd-sourced strategy to develop new gaming products.That tactic camefollowing the failure of GeoSweep, a map-based gambling game.

Last year ALC announced it would accept a $8.7 million loss from thefailedGeoSweeplaunch.The investment in GeoSweepturned out to be a disappointment, officials said, andthe corporation was forced to write-off the multi-million-dollar loss.

Atlantic Lottery is publicly owned by the four provincial governments in Atlantic Canada.