N.C.'s Play at the Pump Lottery Tops $1M in Sales

RALEIGH, N.C. — Sales of lottery tickets at the pump in the state surpassed $1 million, announced Linq3, creator of Play at the Pump technology, and the North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL).

North Carolina has offered lottery sales at the pump for less than two years. Seven convenience and gas retailers participate in the program representing 190 locations, including Murphy USA Inc.

“At Murphy USA, we serve about 1.65 million customers per day at our fueling islands. When you consider that 65 percent to 72 percent of these customers never come inside the store, that’s 1 million customers who never come into our locations. Play at the Pump helps us reach these potential players by meeting them where they are, right at the pump,” said Steven Desautels, senior category manager for Murphy USA.

Daniel Cage, president and founder of Linq3, said the $1 million in lottery tickets sold in North Carolina is a nice milestone to reach.

“Think about today’s convenience economy,” he commented. “We rely on Uber for cab rides and AirBnB for lodging. So what does Uber look like for the lottery? Our technology helps lotteries and retailers answer that question. Play at the Pump helps them modernize their distribution, expand their reach and offer new players a convenient way to play.”

Alice Garland, executive director of the NCEL, added the Play at the Pump program is critical as every lottery ticket sold raises money for education in North Carolina.

“Our partnership with Linq3 adds a way to buy a ticket for Powerball, Mega Millions and Carolina Cash 5 that didn’t exist before,” she said. “Using Linq3’s new technology to make playing the lottery a convenience at a gas pump will help the lottery continue to improve its performance.”

Five states now offer Atlanta-based Linq3’s Play at the Pump: North Carolina, California, Missouri, Pennsylvania and New Mexico.

For more on Murphy USA and its addition of lottery sales at the pump, click here.