Ohio Lottery players now can purchase Lottery Cards on the gift card racks at the Lottery’s retail partners and use the cards to place ticket orders for draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions. The cards can be purchased for $10 for five plays or $20 for 10 plays, plus an 89 cent fee for Mobile Play Benefits.
Each card includes a code on the back that players scratch off, then text to a specified number after confirming their identity, age and location. Then the lottery will generate quick-pick numbers that are sent to the player’s phone and confirmed by text and picture message. Players can check to see if they’re winners or the system will notify them if they are. Winnings under $600 are paid instantly to a customer’s PayPal account.
Lottery officials hope the cards will boost sales by cashing in on the popularity of retail gift cards and attracting a younger demographic .
Lottery gift card expert Shelley Hunter said, “I think the most important part of this is that there’s so many unclaimed lottery tickets. This ensures that people who win will be notified and they’ll receive their money automatically if it’s under $600.”
Hunter added, “The lottery card is actually built in with some responsible gaming thresholds, so in Ohio, for example, you can only play up to $100 a day. That threshold would be different per state.” She said state laws apply to the Lottery Cards as well as traditional tickets, meaning it would be illegal for someone who is ineligible to claim winnings to do that on the mobile system.
Ohio is the second state to roll out the Lottery Card, which also will launch soon in Kentucky.
