Green is the colour, lotto is the game

Unsuspecting punters may be surprised by the new-look green lotto tickets being spewed out by machines across the country.

The change reflects the shift to a new operating system which was successfully plugged in over the weekend.

The new operators of the National Lottery franchise, Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI), said the switchover, which involved the turning on of some 3,700 in-store ticket terminals, went off without a hitch.

However, it said it would not be announcing further details of the changeover until after Wednesday night’s draw - the first real test of the new technology.

PLI had been obliged to overhaul the existing system before next June as part of the terms of the new licence.

As part of the switchover, the consortium, comprising An Post and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan - owners of UK operator Camelot, also paid the second instalment of its €405 million outlay for the licence to the Government last week.

The operators have been holding seminars and sending representatives to shops to train retail agents on how to use the new Photon ticket terminals, supplied by Greek gaming firm Intralot.

Retailer groups had been keen to have the switchover complete before the Christmas rush.

The machines, which use an optical reading technology, are expected to reduce waiting times in stores.

Under the new arrangements, retailers will also be able to pay out on prizes of up €2,500 without recourse to the National Lottery headquarters. They will also be entitled to 1 per cent commission on winnings up to €2,500.