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(More Than Doubles Locations Players Can Cash Lottery Tickets)
October 7, 2008-Schenectady, NY – The New York Lottery today announced it is opening new Customer Service Centers at eight video gaming facilities statewide. The eight new locations will complement the Lottery’s existing network of customer service centers operating out of Long Island, Manhattan, Fishkill, Schenectady, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. The new Centers will be able to validate winning tickets for all Lottery games and pay prizes for all games up to and including $500,000.
“The New York Lottery today offers more games with more prizes and more chances to win than ever before in our history,” said Lottery Director Gordon Medenica. “With prize payments for our traditional games totaling close to four billion dollars last year, these Centers will make it easier and more convenient for winners to redeem their prizes.”
Saratoga Gaming & Raceway opened its new Customer Service Center on September 22, 2008. Similar facilities are scheduled to open by the end of the year at:
- Vernon Downs Racino and Hotel, Vernon, NY;
- Tioga Downs Racino, Nichols, NY;
- Fairgrounds Gaming and Raceway, Hamburg, NY;
- Batavia Downs Gaming and Raceway, Batavia, NY;
- Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack, Farmington, NY;
- Empire City Gaming at Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, NY; and
- Monticello Gaming and Raceway, Monticello, NY
The Lottery’s enhanced prize payment capabilities will benefit Lottery players, in the North Country and Southern Tier regions of the State in particular, by eliminating the need to travel an hour or more to claim a prize valued at $600 or more in person. As always, winning tickets for any prize amount may be mailed to the Lottery for payment.
“We are closing the geographic gap that has been an inconvenience for some of our players for some time,” said Medenica. “Soon, those players in the North Country and Southern Tier regions will be able to choose among ticket cashing locations in Saratoga, Vernon, Nichols, Farmington and Syracuse, while our players downstate will be able to choose between Yonkers and Manhattan.”
The Lottery estimates close to 6,300 Lottery winners from the North Country and Southern Tier claimed prizes totaling more than $7.7 million during fiscal year 2007-08. On average, 52 percent of all prizes paid to those players during FY07-08 were valued at $600 or more. The Lottery expects to meet or exceed those numbers in the current fiscal year with 4,597 redemptions valued at more than $5.4 million already paid to players from Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Delaware, Essex, Hamilton, Saratoga, Steuben, Tioga, Warren, and Washington counties in the first nine months of 2008. On average, 47 percent of the prizes paid to those players so far this calendar year were valued at $600 or more.
Staff at new Customer Service Centers will follow the same operating and security procedures for cashing valid winning tickets as the Lottery’s stand-alone Centers. The new Centers will be staffed by employees of their respective video gaming facilities. The new Customer Service facilities will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Regular hours will be extended until 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The New York Lottery contributed nearly $2.6 billion to help support education in New York State on revenues of $7.549 billion in fiscal year 2007-08 - - a profit margin of 34.3%. The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, earning over $34.2 billion in education support statewide since its founding over 40 years ago. |
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