?A National Lottery terminal is probably the biggest customer draw a c-store can have. It certainly is for me. I went for six months without one when the lottery started but the difference in sales of grocery items now that I have one is unbelievable. With PayPoint, for example, people tend to put whatever money they have in their pocket on bills, and leave, but with the lottery, probably 75% of people also buy something else. Camelot is probably the most professional company I deal with. If, say, newspaper wholesalers were as professional as them I'd be very happy. Most shop owners wouldn't want the lottery operator to change and I am pleased that Camelot has won the licence for the lottery again. Not such good luck Keith Hefferna Poundbury Village Store (Budgens) ?We do get extra business from the terminal, but I have also had a few bad experiences with the lottery. For example, when I took on an ex-Budgens store I needed to provide new documentation and direct debit forms to the bank, and between the bank and Camelot my direct debit was refused, even though there was money in the account. The first I heard of it was when my terminal got turned off, and it stayed that way for two weeks, which was not a very professional approach or very good for business. I also don't see the Camelot representative very often, which is surprising seeing as I've taken on a new store. The devil you know Chris Sharrington Spar Helston, Cornwall ?We don't see the Camelot reps very often and would like to see them more, and when they do show up they don't ring in advance so we don't know whether we need to be in the store on a particular day or not. I haven't seen a rep in about 12 months, which isn't to say they haven't visited, it is because I'm not here all the time. I could use a phone call telling me they were coming. As for the licence, I think it's better the devil you know. But I think some of the other companies that were bidding had good ideas, like being more specific about where the funding should go. I think customers would support a game if it were for a specific purpose like the NHS or schools. I hope Camelot isn't complacent and that it takes these ideas on board.
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