Retail representative groups have expressed their concern at the technical glitch that led to the postponement of last Wednesday evening’s Lotto draw for the first time in 28 years.
RGDATA has communicated that it is ‘very concerned’ with the length of time it took to get service back to retailers for the National Lottery. The group has called on the National Lottery Regulator to investigate the glitch, and said that retailers were ‘frustrated at the disruption and inconvenience to their business and their customers’.
Tara Buckley, director general at RGDATA commented, “We are surprised that the National Lottery didn’t have a contingency plan in place. RGDATA will be following up with the National Lottery and the Regulator as a matter of urgency”.
The Convenience Stores and News Agents Association (CSNA) also voiced their dissatisfaction at the lack of ‘hard info’ and communication from Lotto to retailers during last week’s malfunctioning of Lotto machines across the country.
Vincent Jennings, CSNA chief executive, described the impact of the shutting down of the machines as ‘frustrating rather than financial’, and commented, “Our problem is with how the National Lottery reacted, by not transmitting the difficulties with retailers. They should be e-mailing and texting when the technology is there. It is extremely difficult for a shop-owner to be behind the counter on the phone trying to get through to their office while simultaneously trying to run their business.”
Jennings also highlight the loss in potential sales the glitch caused. “It remains to be seen how much financial loss this has caused retailers. Right now it comes down to potential reputational loss,” he commented.
Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) defended its response following the ‘unprecedented Europe-wide telecommunications network outage’, saying, “The National Lottery’s technical team worked throughout the day with its telecoms network service provider to restore service. As full service was only restored by 6pm, the National Lottery made the decision to postpone the draw to ensure all players had an opportunity to play for the €10 million Lotto jackpot on offer.”
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Hannah Popham
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