LAS VEGAS—Scientific Games Corporation has launched its lottery retail solutions for instant game purchases in the checkout line with SCiQ InLane technology. Through a recent partnership with the Kentucky Lottery, Kroger and Blackhawk Network, shoppers at Lexington, Ky., area Kroger stores can now purchase scratch games along with other grocery items in one transaction in the checkout lanes.

The long-term initiative with SCiQ InLane is expanding to other Kroger markets as well. Currently, instant games are a nearly $60 billion consumer product category in the U.S., with grocery stores representing about $11 billion (18.5%) of total instant game retail sales. In continued efforts to modernize the lottery retail experience at grocery stores and big box retailers, and to help drive maximum proceeds for lottery beneficiary programs, Scientific Games partnered with Kroger, the largest grocery retailer in the U.S., and Blackhawk Network, a provider of branded payment programs.

“All of us at the Kentucky Lottery are excited to be chosen as the first state to test this new system, and we're looking forward to seeing how it performs in the marketplace,” said Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Mary Harville. The Kentucky Lottery is one of the top 20 lotteries in the world for instant game per capita sales.

SCiQ InLane integrates with the retailer's point-of-sale system to sell lottery instant games via technology from payments partner Blackhawk Network. The technology features automated instant game dispensing under the retail checkout counter with a high-visibility, dynamic menu display of the games on sale. The system provides real time data analytics to the retailer and the lottery.

“Consumer data is a critical element to better serve our customers. The SCiQ solution provides us with the data needed to better serve our lottery players,” said Jarrod Cummins, director of prepaid services for Kroger, the largest of the Kentucky Lottery's grocery store partners.

“Through our partnership with Scientific Games and long-standing relationship with Blackhawk Network, Kroger is delighted to be the first grocery store partner for checkout line lottery sales in the U.S., and we look to expanding this effort to additional states,” Kroger said.

To see more of how lotteries impact c-stores, read “Place Your Bets” in NACS Magazine.

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