Allywn, the National Lottery’s operator, has rolled out more than 30,000 new Lottery Wave terminals as part of a multi-million transformation plan. The new system includes a high-speed processor, a bigger and tilt-adjustable LCD screen, wireless 1D barcode and 2D code scanners and a playslip reader.
The first half of the year saw 8,000 retailers get the new machines after previously using Compact Lottery Terminals. Allwyn plans to dish out the upgraded system to more than 4,000 stores by the end of August, and it aims to install thousands of new terminals every week from September.
Jenny Blogg, Allwyn’s director of operations, said: “Over the coming months, our team will be delivering and installing thousands of Wave machines every week. We understand the importance of this new technology in enhancing the in-store experience for both retailers and their customers. We are thrilled at the highly encouraging feedback we have received for the new Wave machines.”
The director called the new move “another massive undertaking” as the company aims to “deliver generational change to the National Lottery”.
Over £350million has been invested to “transform” the National Lottery. The main objections to the plan are to enhance its operations and technology, reports The Grocer.
It includes new games, a “better” player experience, and a commitment to double its returns to Good Causes from £30m to £60m every week by the end of their licence.
Awllyn took over as the operator of The National Lottery in February 2024. During their 10-year licence, they aim to have “The National Lottery change lives every day.”
Stephen Harrison, Nisa retailer, said: “Having the new terminal in store has been amazing. It is so much more responsive and easier to use, which has been especially important to us as we recently had some PR around a millionaire made in store, so our store has been much busier selling those lucky tickets.”
While the new terminals provide more functionality and better reporting features, some retailers have had issues with them. Allwyn requested that retailers are taking several actions to help the transition process and speed it up. This included keeping their terminals plugged in and powered all weekend to allow updates to take place.
Some retailers have complained on LinkedIn about the “poor delivery” of the upgrade, which left them out of service for days.
An Allwyn spokesperson said: “We always said that we expected that a small proportion of legacy Altura terminals may experience delays coming back up for various reasons—including some that didn’t download the new software successfully.
“We’ve been busy visiting and troubleshooting with the very small number of retailers who have experienced any residual issues.”