Lottery tests its luck in finding new lottery machines

The Iowa Lottery needs to replace the 27-hundred machines that print and scan the tickets for on-line games such as “Powerball.” Lottery Commissioner Ed Stanek says the machines are six to ten years old and getting tougher to maintain.Stanek says the new machines will be faster than the old models, which means fewer breakdowns and lost sales.The Lottery has asked manufacturers to submit bids for new machines. Stanek says there are just a few companies that make the machines. There are also few opportunities for those companies to sell their machines, so he expects the bid process to be very competitive and maybe contentious.Stanek says the 10-year contract could yield the winning company as much as 50-million dollars. Stanek says the Iowa Lottery has done what it can to clearly outline the rules of the bidding in hopes of minimizing problems.