by Alicia Tani, Senior Commercial Manager, Commercial Retail Solutions, INTRALOT

The ITVM has historically served as a tool to easily and quickly expand the instant lottery sales channels and reach players in high traffic locations within premises where space is limited. However, since their original inception ITVMs have seen limited innovation due to the combination of challenges and opportunities that the retail, the vending and predominantly, the lottery industries have been experiencing as they stand in the middle of these industries.   

The retail industry is seeing rapid changes due to innovations and new trends in technology. The future of retail is driven by the need to blend digital and physical experiences with in-store experiences, as the borders between digital and physical are disappearing in the mind of the consumer. In the same vain, the vending industry is undertaking a sea-change by increasingly adopting intelligent systems to go far beyond merely dispensing products.

Even most importantly, the lottery industry is seeing increased government regulations for responsible play and retail networks expansion, pressures for reduced operating costs and higher margins in the face of increased rental space costs for vending machines and/or share of lottery revenues from big box retailers, and a wide expansion of the instant game category with increased price points, themes and games in circulation.

What is more, increased user interactivity and payment flexibility are trends that affect all these industries equally, as there is increasing consumer preference toward self-service solutions and cashless payments.

All the above trends are some of the key drivers of the ITVM sales trajectory for the years to come and, in this sense bringing innovation to the ITVM business model can generate a steady and responsible expansion of lottery sales.

INTRALOT’s ITVM solutions are thought through for the lottery operator as much as they are for the player and the retailer and are designed with great focus in integrating new technologies and innovations, aiming to create new value and increase per-machine profitability.

For this, we have added innovation to our proven Winstation ITVM to create fun and entertainment by equipping our machines with capability to handle more instant tickets, full online sales functionality, interactive play features, broad responsible gaming tools and digital signage capabilities turning them into a new value-creating platform.

Winstation30 is the first and only vending machine in the lottery industry, being able to dispense up to 30 different scratch tickets along with unlimited draw based games and terminal instants, making it effectively the highest grossing machine per sq ft in the industry. It is equipped with additional bins of scratch games to generate increase on average sales compared to other traditional equipment. Continuing the traditional “push of a button” functionality, Winstation30, is further enhanced with an embedded 10.1’’ touch screen, allowing digitalized game play and modernized gaming experience in traditional retail environment. The touch screen also provides access to the “Retailer portal” for delivering operational content and services and various system diagnosis utilities.

Draw games are available through the Quick Pick Online Panel and they are offered at pre-determined price points. Top selling games are promoted to players with dedicated selection buttons right above the instant games’ selection buttons. Of course, all draw games are offered also in the touch screen so as for the player to have more wagering options available. Additionally, retail gaming experience is enriched with a 19” top monitor which attracts more passing by players, especially young, tech-savvy generations.

Winstation30 accommodates various means of participation including cash (bill & coin) and cashless payment, e-wallet and NFC contactless functionality, registered and anonymous game play, engaging players in an enhanced gaming experience. Also, via the integrated ticket checker - Barcode Reader (BCR) it can provide easy, self-service validation, meaning it entertains players with very little effort from the part of the retailers and can engage players further by converting winnings into new play sessions.

Winstation30 has a robust construction and is carefully designed to ensure safety and security while the retailer can prevent unauthorized use through the remote control deactivation. The Winstation30 sturdy, durable and "splash-proof" construction allows it to operate for years on a 24/7 basis without performance degradation, not only minimizing downtime, maintenance and repair costs but also maximizing the integrity of Instant Game inventory.

Modernizing Lotteries in a digital world, INTRALOT empowers ITVMs positioning in retail with this powerful, simple and stylish vending machine which can offer a complete set of lottery games to the player. Expanding INTRALOT’s footprint worldwide, Winstation30 is currently installed in a wide retail network within the State of Illinois, with the aspiration to bring in new player segments and increased retailer efficiency and sales revenues and in the first months of operation is already seeing more sales per machine