A new way to play lottery has taken hold in North Carolina. And consumers have begun to notice in a big way.

Linq3, creator of Play at the Pump technology, and the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) today announced their partnership has surpassed $1 million in lottery sales. For a program that’s less than two years old and began with seven participating retailers, the milestone paints a bright picture of what’s to come for the future of fuel pump lottery.

While Play at the Pump launched in a trial mode with a select group of retailers, the solution has grown to more than 190 convenience stores across the state. And with recent partnership announcements with NCR and Verifone, Linq3 looks to further expand the North Carolina Education Lottery’s reach to new players in the years to come.

“This is a nice milestone to reach in our partnership with NCEL,” said Daniel Cage, president & founder of Linq3. “Think about today’s convenience economy. We rely on Uber for cab rides and AirBnB for lodging. So what does Uber look like for the lottery? Our technology helps lotteries and retailers answer that question. Play at the Pump helps them modernize their distribution, expand their reach and offer new players a convenient way to play.”

Play at the Pump offers these players a convenient and efficient way to play. The Play at the Pump lottery transaction occurs in a matter of seconds, including age verification, payment and receipt.

“At Murphy USA, we serve about 1.65 million customers per day at our fueling islands. When you consider that 65 percent to 72 percent of these customers never come inside the store, that’s one million customers who never come into our locations. Play at the Pump helps us reach these potential players by meeting them where they are, right at the pump,” said Steven Desautels, senior category manager for Murphy USA.

Linq3’s lottery playing platform will soon add Verifone Commander to its pump POS/site controller integration, with NCR’s RPOS completing the set by year end. This will position NCEL and Linq3 to access more than 95 percent of the gas retail sector. Specifically, the Verifone integration is expected to bring Play at the Pump to hundreds more of the more than 3,000 North Carolina convenience stores.

“Every ticket the lottery sells helps to raise more money for education in North Carolina,” said Alice Garland, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “Our partnership with Linq3 adds a way to buy a ticket for Powerball, Mega Millions and Carolina Cash 5 that didn’t exist before. Using Linq3’s new technology to make playing the lottery a convenience at a gas pump will help the lottery continue to improve its performance.”

North Carolina retailers interested in adopting the Play at the Pump solution can contact their local NCEL lottery representative or Linq3’s John Schell at [email protected]. And consumers looking for a new way to play lottery should keep their eyes peeled as the solution expands across the state.