State lottery to upgrade computer system this week

The Pennsylvania Lottery on Friday announced that it will upgrade to a new computer system, and that transition will briefly affect players’ ability to buy certain tickets and cash winning tickets.

“The Pennsylvania Lottery is working to upgrade vending equipment, improve our technology, and debut many new features that will improve the playing experience for our players — and this upgrade is one part of that effort,” said Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne, who heads the Pennsylvania Lottery. “We have a thorough plan in place to make sure next week’s transition to the new computer system has as little impact as possible for our players. This phase of our project is mainly taking place behind the scenes, but it’s a big move for us to improve our business, expand sales, and continue our mission of responsibly generating funding for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians.”

The upgrade is scheduled to start after midnight Monday and take until late into the day on Tuesday. The Lottery will post updates on it website and social media channels about the completion of the work.

During this time period, there will still be drawings, but players won’t be able to buy any Fast Play tickets or Draw Game tickets at retail locations or online. Draw Games include Powerball, Mega Millions, Treasure Hunt, Cash 5 with Quick Cash, Match 6 Lotto, Cash4Life and the Pick games.

Players interested in Powerball, whose drawings take place Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights, or Mega Millions, whose drawings occur on Tuesday and Friday nights, should buy their tickets in advance of the upgrade. No vouchers can be used or produced during the upgrade, either.

Those looking to purchase Scratch-Off tickets at the counter or at vending machines can still do so via cash only. Players will also still be able to play eInstant games online during this time period.

Winning tickets, including Scratch-Offs, will not be paid during this time period. Lottery officials said players should sign the back of their tickets and hold them until they can be claimed after the upgrade.

The Pennsylvania Lottery website may also not show the Daily Drawings numbers until after the system upgrade is complete.

Lottery officials said the modernization project started with the upgrade of new vending equipment at retail locations, and the transition will be accompanied by the move to new data centers, test environments, communications networks and back-office systems.

“All of these efforts will help the Lottery operate more efficiently, improve the playing experience for our players, and help us generate funding for the critical programs that our older residents rely upon,” Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko said.