California and North Carolina Introduce Lotto Tickets at Gas Pumps
Wednesday August 5th 2015Sick of waiting around while filling up the tank? In California and North Carolina, you can now grab lottery tickets for jackpot games without having to step inside the convenience store. As state lotteries try to create even more big winners and raise more money for good causes, they are increasingly turning towards innovative ticket sale services to entice new and seasoned players alike.
The California Lottery started testing gas pump sales last year and have determined that the project is worth expanding. There are currently 87 locations providing the “Play at the Pump” service, with a lottery spokesman stating in the San Francisco Chronicle that officials will reassess gas pump sales when they reach 100 stations. Players are limited to spending $20 a day or $50 a week on Powerball, Mega Millions and SuperLotto Plus tickets and must prove they are at least 18 years old by inserting their driver’s license into the gas pump itself.
The North Carolina Education Lottery has also debuted “Play at the Pump”, which allows players to spend up $70 a week on Powerball, Mega Millions and Carolina Cash 5 tickets when using a debit card. While there’s an applicable surcharge of $1 that is given to the vendor, if a player wins $599 or less the windfall will be deposited into their bank account. A single gas station in Charlotte is currently offering the program, but the lottery does have plans to roll out the scheme across the state if it’s successful.
Two other states have already approved the sale of lottery tickets at gas pumps in recent years - the Missouri Lottery rolled out a program in 2013, while the Montana Lottery has a similar scheme. Minnesota also allowed gas pump ticket sales, but the practice was prohibited by the state legislature in May 2015.
Whether you’re stopping for a quick top-up in San Fran or refuelling for a long journey from Winston-Salem to Charlotte, why not take a couple minutes to pick up a ticket for Mega Millions, Powerball or state lottery games? You could grab a fortune that could more than cover the cost of running your car!
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