News writer
Winning the lottery might bring instant excitement, but claiming those winnings? Not so much — especially if you’re in South Dakota and need to make your way to a redemption center for any prize over $100.
State lottery officials had big plans to fix that with a new mobile-cashing feature, which promises easy transfers to bank accounts. However, like any jackpot dream, there’s been an issue and now players will have to wait a little longer for this new convenience to roll out.
The new mobile-cashing feature delayed
Deputy director Clark Hepper told state Lottery Commission members back in September that the system would be starting around November 15, 2024.
However, Hepper spoke to Lottery Commission members again on Thursday, December 12, 2024, and the target for the roll out of this new feature has now been pushed back to January 30, 2025, KELOLAND News reported.
Hepper told lottery commission members, “We’re working through some of those hiccups we found in the testing process.”
What is this new mobile-cashing feature?
For those lottery players in South Dakota, they currently have to travel to one of the South Dakota Lottery’s redemption centers in Sioux Falls, Pierre, or Rapid City to claim prizes over $100.
With this new mobile-cashing feature, these lucky winners would be able to electronically transfer those winnings to their bank accounts.
Hepper said, “This is going to be a matter of convenience for our players.”
System issues delay that roll out
While lottery officials had high hopes of this new mobile-cashing feature being available in November, the system did run into some issues while trying to communicate with financial institutions, according to Hepper.
He went on to say this is a “big project we want to market” and members of the lottery’s staff are working with IGT, which has a contract with South Dakota Lottery for online services, and Fjorge, which provides the mobile app for the South Dakota Lottery.
Implementing the new system
Once the new feature rolls out, lottery officials said they have plans in place to get the word out. They said they rack cards available at lottery retailers explaining how this new feature works, posters in redemption centers, and adding information to claim forms and to the backs of instant tickets.
Officials said they will also be releasing a social media campaign, emails to Players Club members, a press release, and a step-by-step tutorial.
Then in the spring, they will release a paid digital media campaign, billboards, and more social media posts.
Massachusetts facing delays also
While South Dakota officials are facing a delay in releasing this new feature, officials in Massachusetts are also facing delays in launching their online lottery sales.
Back on July 29, the Commonwealth legalized online lottery sales. At that time, officials said the process would take about 16 months to fully implement. Based on that information, the platform was expected to launch by the end of 2025.
However, that timeline is now delayed because of funding issues and officials are expecting online ticket sales to be available to players beginning in April 2026.
Enjoy playing the South Dakota Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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