Jackpocket Comes To Colorado Circle K Stores

Jackpocket, the first third-party app in the U.S. that provides a secure way to order official state lottery tickets, has announced a partnership with convenience store giant Circle K to bring Jackpocket to the chain’s stores in Colorado and five other states.

Circle K shoppers in Texas, New York, Ohio, Arkansas, and New Hampshire also will get a chance to try Jackpocket in those states as part of the new agreement, which covers 1,300 total stores.

The deal raises awareness of Jackpocket so that Circle K customers realize whenever they can’t make it to stores due to weather, illness, or just lack of time, they can still play the lottery via their smartphones.

Last summer’s “pilot program” in dozens of Circle K stores in Austin, Texas, established proof of concept, a company official said.

Store visitors enter their phone numbers on a digital screen at the checkout counter to receive a link to the app. Jackpocket app customers, meanwhile, receive offers for discounts on gas, coffee, and food at Circle K stores. New signups also get a $5 bonus credit added to their first deposit.

“We’re excited that this new venture will give our customers a fun, exclusive, and seamless way to order official state lottery tickets with just a tap of a button, and also give them access to deals on our exciting products,” Circle K chief marketing officer Kevin Lewis said.

Jackpocket charges a 9% fee on each deposit — but if a ticket wins, the consumer keeps all of the winnings (minus the IRS cut for any wins over $600).

Jackpocket CEO Peter Sullivan points with pride to the company’s endorsement by the National Council on Problem Gambling for its responsible gambling efforts. The Jackpocket app features daily deposit and spend limits, an option to self-exclude from play, and in-app access to NCPG’s resources and support hotline.

Jackpocket also promotes responsible gaming through its website, blog, social media pages, newsletters, and ads, Sullivan notes.

Jackpocket also advertises on Snapchat with a promise of free tickets to those who refer friends who sign up with the service, an enticement that Sullivan says has proven popular.

Sullivan founded the company eight years ago after helping his father — an avid lottery player — get a feel for his first iPhone. Most of the world seems to be at one’s fingertips, of course, except Sullivan’s father asked why he couldn’t play the lottery online.

While Jackpocket became officially licensed in New Jersey in December 2019 and in New York in January 2021, Sullivan said that most state lottery laws are “silent” on a product such as his. Virginia, Wisconsin, and Indiana thus are among the few states where Jackpocket so far is locked out.

Colorado is among 10 states where Jackpocket already is “live,” and Sullivan said additional states will be added in the next 18 months.

Jackpocket customers can play their state’s lottery as well as multi-states games such as Mega Millions and Powerball if their state participates in such contests.

The growing number of states that are legalizing mobile sports betting, online casino gambling, or both have produced more consumers who also do research into how they can play lottery online, Sullivan said.

Lotto.com, a rival to Jackpocket, launched last month in New Jersey, but the format is quite different.

Instead of using an app, Lotto.com customers go to a web-based platform and “pay-as-they-go.” With Jackpocket, consumers make an initial deposit and then draw down from that fund as they play.

Jackpocket also has a recurring subscription option that automatically gets a consumer “into the game” whenever a lottery jackpot crosses a pre-selected trigger such as $100 million. Jackpocket also is developing a “pool with friends” feature that will eliminate office-worker confusion as to who exactly gets a share of that big, lucky jackpot.