NC Lottery Commission orders full-service machines

RALEIGH -- The North Carolina Lottery Commission has agreed to order up to 550 vending machines to sell more than instant tickets. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the commission agreed Tuesday to order machines that sell scratch-off tickets and tickets for the state's three-, four- and five-digit drawings and the multistate Powerball game. Grocery stores across the state already have the machines that sell instant tickets. Officials hope the new machines will get more national chains to sell tickets. The company that handles logistics for the state's games will provide the $20,000 machines, as well as 3,200 new terminals for retail establishments. In exchange, the lottery will extend its contract with GTECH by four years to 2017. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)