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Iowa lottery kiosks attempt to change law

The Iowa Lottery is attempting to upgrade its old vending kiosks, but a state law prohibiting touchscreen lottery kiosks is preventing the organization from moving forward.

March 14, 2016

The Iowa Lottery is attempting to upgrade its old vending kiosks, but a state law prohibiting touchscreen lottery kiosks is preventing the organization from moving forward. The Iowa Lottery is currently working with lawmakers to create a new law to define self-service kiosks, according to a reportby the Telegraph Herald.

The Iowa Lottery's current kiosks are outdated and the maintenance contracts are set to expire in September. In 2006, the state legislature banned "monitor vending machines," due to complaints about TouchPlay machines, which resembled slot machines. The Iowa Lottery wants to deploy touchscreen vending kiosks, which technically meet the definition of monitor vending machines.

"Everything these days has touchscreens, and that's where we ran into a problem with current law," said Mary Neubauer, vice president of Iowa Lottery. The organization is working with Senator Tod Bowman to make the law to define self-service kiosks.

Bowman spoke with Neubauer to ensure the kiosks had security features to prevent use from minors. The kiosks are designed to allow cashiers to turn off remotely, according to the report.