Lottery-Ticket Purchases at Checkout Make Iowa Debut at Fareway Stores
New "Easy Play" Option Adds Customer Convenience
A JPEG image of (left to right) Fareway checker Linda Moravec, Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn, and Fareway CEO Reynolds Cramer is available here:
https://ialottery.com/images/PressReleases/OtherNews/EasyPlay-Debut_2025.jpg
High-definition video of a ticket being sold at the cash register in an Iowa Fareway grocery store is available to download from the Iowa Lottery's Dropbox account here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tu0k5yr8otr3jm79t1x4v/Powerball-with-Easy-Play-dispensed.mp4?rlkey=6mq2u4s73gizm9kg81b5gsdhj&e=1&st=ospsrajr&dl=0
A JPEG image of an Iowa Mega Millions ticket being printed at the checkout is available here: https://ialottery.com/images/PressReleases/OtherNews/EasyPlay-TicketPrinting_2025.jpg
A JPEG image of an Iowa Powerball ticket that has been printed at the checkout is available here:
https://ialottery.com/images/PressReleases/OtherNews/EasyPlay-PBTicket_2025.jpg
If you can't open these links, visit www.ialottery.com and click on Press Room.
CLIVE, Iowa — Powerball® and Mega Millions® tickets can now be purchased in checkout lanes at select Fareway® Stores in Iowa, marking the state debut of this new convenience in lottery purchases.
The new purchase process allows the printing of quick-pick tickets in Powerball and Mega Millions at the cash register. The tickets involved are produced on the same paper as store receipts, but printed separately.
Called Easy Play, this new purchase process from the Iowa Lottery has just debuted in select Fareway locations, with plans for it to roll out by the end of March to all Fareway locations in Iowa that sell lottery tickets. Customers at those stores will be able to buy quick-pick tickets (where the numbers in the play are randomly assigned) in Powerball and Mega Millions in any checkout lane staffed by a cashier.
Prior to Easy Play's debut, Iowa Lottery tickets could only be purchased at a lottery terminal or self-service kiosk in a retail location.
"Think of Easy Play as an express lane while the lottery terminal provides a full-service approach for all lottery products," said Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn. "We recognize consumer expectations for convenience and are thrilled to work with a partner like Fareway to deliver that experience."
Mike McCormick, Chief Retail Officer with Fareway Stores, Inc., said his company welcomes the new option.
"We are excited to partner with the Iowa Lottery to be the first retailer in the state to provide customers with the convenience of Easy Play," McCormick said. "At Fareway, the customer experience is a top priority and adding Easy Play will elevate that experience for our lottery playing customers."
The Easy Play process allows customers at the cash register to buy quick-pick tickets with 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 plays for the next drawing in Powerball and Mega Millions. Easy Play tickets do not allow the Power Play®, Double Play® or Megaplier® features to be added and are not available at self-service checkouts.
Customers who want to cash a lottery prize, choose their own numbers to play in a lotto game, or buy tickets in the full selection of lottery games available at the store, will still go to the lottery terminal for those transactions.
Strawn said that development and implementation of the Easy Play technology has been a years-long endeavor for the Iowa Lottery. He emphasized that Easy Play tickets adhere to the same exacting security standards as those from a lottery terminal. And, any Fareway cash registers utilized for Easy Play transactions must be able to ensure that lottery purchases are made with cash or the equivalent, not credit.
Easy Play tickets can be checked or cashed at any lottery retail location in Iowa. Tickets printed from a store's cash register look similar to those from a lottery terminal, but feature the Easy Play logo to help identify them. And as with tickets from a lottery terminal, excessive heat or light can damage Easy Play tickets.
About the Iowa Lottery: Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $5.9 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $2.5 billion for state programs.
Today, lottery proceeds help our state in multiple ways. They support Iowa veterans and their families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund. They help with ongoing insurance costs for the families of Iowa peace officers, firefighters and corrections employees who die in the line of duty. And they provide help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund.
About Fareway: Fareway Stores, Inc. is a growing Midwest grocery company currently operating 139 stores in a seven-state region. Fareway's mission is to provide the highest quality products, while treating customers like family, and valuing dedicated employees. Its stores are known for their unmatched, full-service meat departments, farm-fresh produce, and exceptional to-your-car customer service. Fareway is a family-owned business, recognized as a top 10 employer in Iowa, and has more than 12,000 total employees. Visit Fareway.com for more information or shop online by visiting https://shop.fareway.com/.
For more information, contact:
Iowa Lottery
Mary Neubauer, Vice President of External Relations and Social Responsibility
515-725-7906
mneubauer@ialottery.com
Fareway Stores
Elias Johnson, Vice President of Corporate Outreach & Communications
515-824-0312
ejohnson@farewaystores.com
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