Cashless Readers Available Starting 11/1
Published: November 6, 2017
As a component of the state budget bill, the Ohio legislature authorized the Ohio Lottery to begin accepting credit/debit cards on all 6,000 of the Ohio Lottery Commission’s self-service terminals, effective tomorrow. “It’s a changing consumer trend. More and more consumers aren’t carrying cash,” Ohio Lottery Communications Director Danielle Frizzi-Babb said. “It’s really a way of adapting to consumer trends and the way that consumers are behaving.” The system will have a daily spending limit of $100 per card, however, those with multiple cards and/or cash could continue to purchase tickets.
According to the Ohio Lottery’s website, “these units are credit/debit card readers, and will enable customers to purchase Lottery with debit, credit and eWallet payments. The new units will be attached to each of the self-service terminals in the state.”
Based on the new 2016/17 Ohio Gambling Survey 58.2% (or roughly 5.2 million) Ohioans of legal age participate in the state lottery. One of the cardinal rules of responsible gambling is that an individual should never gamble with borrowed funds. As accessibility of gambling with credit increases, the related issues with problem gambling will likely follow.
Please share these seven recommendations for low-risk gambling with your community members:
- Only play with cash
- Set limits on time and money
- Play with money that can be lost (or that you can afford to lose)
- View gambling as a form of entertainment
- Play sober
- Keep it a social activity
- Know the risks before you play
Gambling with credit is not new to Ohio; however, the addition of the cashless readers on the 6,000 Ohio Lottery self-service terminals will lead to a substantial increase in availability. Consumers need to be made aware of the risks as well as the resources.
For those who might have a problem, they can take the Quiz at beforeyoubet.org/the-quiz or call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 800-589-9966. By sharing resources and getting support for those in need, Ohio can continue to be a leader in innovation.
Derek Longmeier
Executive Director