LOTTO WOES
LOTTERY players in one state have threatened to stop playing after a system upgrade caused major inconveniences this week.
Officials in Connecticut just updated the ticket printing and scanning machines statewide for the first time since 2008.
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But the new system is having trouble reading tickets that were purchased before Sunday. It was also having problems with Keno and Fast Play tickets issued on Monday.
Warnings about the issues were still posted on Connecticut Lottery's website on Wednesday afternoon.
The situation caused a major headache for lotto player John Carr.
He went to three different stores that couldn't read his tickets before driving to Connecticut Lottery's headquarters to have them scanned, WTNH reported.
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"Yeah, I’m going to stop playing, as of today," Carr told the outlet.
But Greg Smith, the president of Connecticut Lottery, said the customer service department wasn't getting more complaints than usual.
"We’re experiencing what we consider a normal volume of, 'I’m struggling with this,' or, 'Why did this message pop up?'" he said.
The organization spent years preparing to upgrade the new system and provided training sessions for its more than 2,800 retailers statewide.
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But store employees say that the new system is causing long wait times when customers need multiple tickets printed
"The previous machine was, kind of, user-friendly,” gas station worker Fakhir Syed told WTNH.
"There are a few more steps in the new machine. You have to go the extra mile."
Smith said it will take time for people to get used to the new equipment and that anyone experiencing issues should contact Connecticut Lottery.
"We take every ticket seriously because of its potential win value," he said.
"Everybody should be able to rely on this thing."
A lottery player recently won a $5million jackpot after playing a scratch-off game in Florida.
But they only took home $3.9million after after choosing the one-time lump-sum option.