Lottery officials move to end gas pump, ATM games

ROSEVILLE — Minnesota Lottery officials are working to suspend contracts with vendors in order to end online, gas pump and ATM games by the end of the month.

Lottery officials plan to stop selling lottery tickets at gas pumps and ATMs by Aug. 29 and online by Aug. 31. Those dates come about a month before the deadline set by the Legislature to end the games, Minnesota Public Radio News reported Wednesday.

Lottery players have been notified about the pending shutdown, including the dates when specific games and related services will be disabled. The first change came this week, when players could no longer add money to their online wallets.

It’s unclear how much it will cost to suspend vendor contracts. But lottery officials estimate the two primary vendors, Scientific Games and Linq3, are entitled to at least $12 million in damages.

Minnesota Lottery Director Ed Van Petten said he thinks the matter can be negotiated in “good faith,” but it still could trigger a lawsuit.