The Kentucky Lottery has launched “Connected Play,” a feature it says makes it the first U.S. lottery to unify its online and retail channels in a single player wallet. The tool lets players fund one account and use it whether they are playing from home or at a store counter or vending machine. President and CEO Maggie Garrison demonstrated the rollout on WHAS11’s “Great Day Live.” An edited transcript of the conversation follows.
Great Day Live: We use our phones to do just about everything these days, and the Kentucky Lottery is leaning all the way into that. You just rolled out a first-of-its-kind feature that keeps your funds, your tickets, and your winnings all in one place, whether you are on the couch or standing in the checkout line. So let’s get right into it: what is this new feature all about?
Maggie Garrison, President and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery: It’s called Connected Play. We’re the first U.S. lottery to launch it, and it really pulls together the online channel with the retail channel. You can fund your online wallet and spend online, from your couch. Or you can come to a retail location and check out the games we have at a vending machine or at the counter.
Great Day Live: So it’s sort of like Apple Wallet, in a sense. Everything is right there on the phone, convenient and easy to use.
Garrison: That’s exactly right. It’s all about making lottery products convenient for players, what consumers are used to: convenience and ease. That’s what Connected Play does.
Great Day Live: How can players use the new feature?
Garrison: Just go to the Kentucky Lottery app, start an account, and fund your wallet. Then you can play any games online or play in store. The choice is yours.
Great Day Live: What kinds of games will players find in the app and in these machines at stores?
Garrison: Lots of variety. If you come to one of our retail locations, we have a variety of scratch-off games. Online, you can play a draw ticket or instant-play games. It’s a wide variety that really caters to everyone.
Great Day Live: This is the first of its kind in the country. Why is that so important for Kentucky and beyond?
Garrison: We’re really proud to be one of the first to offer this feature, and it’s so important for us to continue to innovate. We have such an important impact on the state, so we want to keep growing the funds that we contribute for education. It’s all about finding new ways to engage a new audience.
Great Day Live: You raise a lot of money for education in the state. What has that impact been?
Garrison: Since the inception of the lottery here in Kentucky, we have funded over $5.4 billion for scholarship and grant programs. It goes to show our mission is so important, and we have to be creative.
Great Day Live: [at a retail vending machine] What are the first steps?
Garrison: You’ve got a variety of choices. You can try your luck at a draw game up top, or a variety of scratch-off games here.
Great Day Live: What’s the difference between a draw game and a scratch-off?
Garrison: Our scratch-off games are quick play. You can play them whenever you want, scratch them at your leisure, and see if you win. With draw games, you’re placing a wager and waiting for the drawing to happen. It’s a different feel.
Great Day Live: And I can check results on my phone?
Garrison: You can just scratch the barcode and check on your phone. Go to the KY Lottery app, press scan ticket, and the camera comes up to scan. [The host’s ticket was not a winner.] I’m sorry for your luck, but you funded scholarship and grant programs today, so we appreciate it. We now fund seven different scholarship and grant programs, and you are now a lottery supporter.
Great Day Live: If someone wants to learn more about the Kentucky Lottery, how can they?
Garrison: Just go to kylottery.com and choose how to play with us today.
Source: WHAS11, “Great Day Live” (May 18, 2026).