On Tuesday (July 15) the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission approved the recommendation to award a new Lottery Central Monitoring and Control system (LCMCS) contract to INTRALOT.
This followed a competitive bidding process, with the vendor to manufacture the counter terminals and self-service vending machines that sell tickets at 4,300 Maryland Lottery retailer points of sale.
It will also develop the software that runs the system’s sales and accounting functions and provide numerous related services that are necessary to operate the Maryland Lottery.
The contract has been awarded for 10 years, with an extension of 5+1 years as a possibility.
“As part [of] its proposal to the State, INTRALOT has engaged nine local business enterprises (MBE) to service the Maryland Lottery contract.
“Historically, vendors have used fewer MBE partners, but INTRALOT believes its new approach will create far greater opportunities for local communities.”
INTRALOT’s financial proposal comes to a total estimated contract price of $260,393,946, with the Gaming Control Commission’s approval being an intermediary step in the award process for approving any future contract.
Maryland Lottery isn’t the only state to have a change
While the Maryland Lottery has seen a new contract be awarded, not all states are having a favorable time with its lotteries.
One state that hasn’t had a smooth sailing few months is Texas.
Over the last couple of months, the state of Texas has been rocked by a lottery scandal, which was exposed after a lawsuit was filed.
It was on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, when the Lotto Texas jackpot had climbed to $73 million. No one won that night and there hadn’t been a winner for the previous 91 drawings either.
This led to the money rolling over again, with the jackpot growing to $95 million on the Saturday. This is when 74-year-old Dawn Nettles shared her opinion, stating on her website: “I fear tonight will be a very sad night for Texas Lottery players.”
It turns out that the Texas lottery rules had been broken. According to state law, the tickets needed to have been sold in person, over the counter. But it was then found that $25 million worth of tickets had been sold through middlemen who were purchasing on behalf of out-of-state players, with the transactions handled through computers, iPads, and apps.
The winning ticket came from that pool of $25 million, all bought by an out-of-state syndicate, which led to what is now known as the Texas lottery scandal.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
