Following complaints received by Convenience Store from retailers, who called the sytem outdated, slow and with an interface that looked like “something from the 1990s,” Alison Acquaye-Acford (below left), director of commercial partnerships and retail sales at Allwyn, has issued a statement about the set-up and the concerns raised.
“Over the first weekend of August, we took National Lottery systems and terminals offline for 34 hours in an unprecedented move that allowed for the biggest tech upgrade since it first launched in 1994, in what is the biggest lottery transformation anywhere in the world.
“The scale and complexity of this project involved the delivery of over 30 new systems, including a completely new back-end gaming system, and a series of complex data migrations, including the transfer of tens of thousands of retailer records and millions of transactions from the old to the new systems.
“While we always knew that these major updates – most of which have initially been behind the scenes – would mean short-term disruption for you, our 43,500 retail partners, and for players, it was crucial we made them. As most retailers will know, the legacy systems and in-store terminals powering The National Lottery date back to 2009, before iPads, Uber and Instagram. So, these now need to be modernised to deliver on Allwyn’s ambitions for a National Lottery fit for the future.
“Thanks to the massive support from you, our retail partners, the upgrades went smoothly, and we were able to get all the systems back up and running several hours ahead of schedule. In turn, that meant we were able to get our retail partners back selling tickets in good time, and that was greatly helped by retailers following the guidance provided – such as keeping terminals plugged in and powered on over the weekend.
“This was also the first real-life outing for our new state-of-the-art Wave terminals. Around 8,000 retailers – mainly those that previously had a Compact Lottery Terminal - are now up and running on their new Waves.
“We said all along we expected a small proportion of legacy in-store terminals may experience delays coming back up and we know some retailers are also getting to grips with how the new software looks and performs…”
“As with any upgrade of this scale and complexity, some retailers that are still on the legacy Altura terminals experienced some anticipated teething problems. We said all along we expected a small proportion of legacy in-store terminals may experience delays coming back up and we know some retailers are also getting to grips with how the new software looks and performs on their Altura machine, but please know that this is merely a short-term solution until we’re able to get the new Wave terminals out to retailers over the next few months.
“It’s worth noting that, over the last six months, we have provided a series of training materials on our Retailer Training Centre to help retailers prepare for this. These are still available and include a module where retailers can learn about and try core functions of the new software. In addition to the comprehensive retailer support pack we provided in the run-up to the weekend, stores were also visited over the preceding months and RSEs left behind a quick-start training manual.
“We really have tried very hard to thoroughly prepare retailers and provide ongoing support – with more than 39,000 phone calls, emails and face-to-face visits, more than double the amount of retail support resource (including engineers and RSEs) currently on the ground and more than four times the number of agents providing troubleshooting support on our Retailer Hotline.
“Now our primary focus turns to rolling out the remainder of the Wave terminals, with the rollout happening as I write this. We spoke with former Fed President and respected retailer, Monty Dipoti, following the weekend, and he summed it up for us: ’Yes, the old terminals do feel a bit slower now, but after speaking with the Allwyn team, it’s clear this is not the end product. They’re listening to feedback, making tweaks and moving in the right direction to deliver something that will ultimately make our businesses stronger, both for retailers and consumers. I’ve seen the new Wave terminal – and trust me, retailers will love it. It’s worth waiting for.’
“So, an enormous thank you from all of us at Allwyn on helping us achieve this first, landmark step. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a National Lottery that the UK truly deserves, and we are truly grateful to our retailers for their continued patience and support.”
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