RI Lottery Admits Technology Flaw With App After GoLocal Report
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
The RI Lottery app was scanning winning tickets and telling players they had lost -- instead of to check back in when online. PHOTO: Liam Nguyen/Unsplash
Last week, GoLocal contacted the Lottery after a reader raised an issue with the Lottery’s app that gave false information. In some cases, it told some scratch ticket readers that they lost when they, in fact, won.
“The Rhode Island Lottery makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of information available on our website and app. Recently, an app scanning issue was brought to our attention [by GoLocal]. We identified an incorrect message related to some instant ticket games associated with the scan feature on the app that may occur when the retail lottery system is offline daily from approximately 1:15 AM to 5 AM (7 AM on Sundays),” said Paul Grimaldi, spokesperson of the R.I. Department of Revenue.
“In-state and multi-state draw games as well as, iLottery games were unaffected. We worked diligently with our vendor to rectify this instant ticket scanning message issue. Our vendor developed, tested, and released a fix so that this incorrect instant ticket message no longer appears,” said Grimaldi.
He said, “Players who have any questions or concerns should please contact Lottery headquarters at 401-463-6500, extension 149.”
Winners Deemed Losers — This Was the Tech Issue
As GoLocal reported, Nick Williams, who lives in East Providence, said he picked up scratch tickets in North Kingstown last week, and went online to confirm his winnings on two games — only to first be alerted it they were not winning tickets.
Williams said at the time that he was “confused,” as he knew that he was a winner.
“I checked the tickets several more times only to receive the same message from the app — ‘Ticket #xxxxx has been scanned. SORRY. NOT A WINNER. GOOD LUCK NEXT TIME,’” said Williams.
Williams said he brought the tickets to the store where he bought them on Post Road, where the clerk told him he couldn’t check it at the counter as the lottery machine was “off” and could only check when it was back online at 5 AM.
So Williams said he scanned the tickets on the app again the next morning at around 4 AM — which he said showed he was “not a winner” — and then, shortly after checking at 5 AM, the app showed that he was.
Williams provided screenshots of one scan on the phone app showing his ticket was a loser, and then one — after 5 AM — that showed it was a winner.
It was then that Williams decided to reach out to GoLocal to raise the issue.
“If the scanner does not work during off hours, it should absolutely give the player a message that says ‘Sorry, tickets can only be scanned between 5 AM and 11 PM” or whatever the ‘regular wagering hours’ are,” said Williams. “They should never be told that a winning ticket is a loser.”
“I wonder how many people have used this ticket scanner after hours only to throw away an actual winning ticket? Wasn't there an unclaimed million dollar Powerball winner not too long ago? Considering how late the Powerball is announced, it seems plausible that the player with that ticket checked it after midnight and was told that million dollar ticket was a loser,” said Williams.
“On the instant tickets, some of them are difficult to tell if you won or not. For example, on the crossword puzzles, one missed letter can be the difference between a loser and a jackpot winner,” said Williams “That's why a lot of people check them on their phones.”
On Friday, GoLocal purchased several lottery tickets — including jackpot drawing and scratch tickets — and found that a winning scratch ticket showed an “error” message when scanning both bar codes on the back of the ticket.
The vendor for the app is IGT, according to the RI Department of Revenue.
PHOTO: Liam Nguyen, Unsplash
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