Activate Pack
"Activating" a pack means placing it into a physical bin on the counter so customers can buy from it. Activation moves a pack from the Safe to a Bin — that is, from Confirmed status to Active status.
A pack must be confirmed before you can activate it. If you haven't done that yet, start at Confirm Pack.
Open the screen: Lottery → Activate Pack in the left navigation.
When to use this screen
- A bin on your counter just sold out and you need to replace the empty pack
- You confirmed a shipment earlier and now you're putting one of those packs out for sale
- You've reorganized the counter and want to put a previously inactivated pack back into rotation (this works because Inactive packs in the safe can be re-activated the same way)
Screen at a glance
| Area | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wizard stepper (top) | This screen is step 3 of the new-pack flow. The progress bar lets you jump back to Add Game or Confirm Pack. |
| Store | Pick which store's safe you're activating from |
| Quick Scan – Activate Pack | Scan a pack barcode and the system fills Game / Pack for you |
| Session Settings | Activate date and Bin Number |
| Pack Details | Game # and Pack # (auto-filled by scan or picked manually) |
| Activation Summary (right) | Currently Active count + cumulative year / month / week / today metrics |
Before you begin
You need:
- The physical pack in your hand (or its number from the Safe tab of Lottery Inventory)
- The bin number you're going to place it into — read the number printed on the dispenser slot
- An empty bin slot. If every bin is full, you must Inactivate an existing pack first.
Activate a pack step-by-step
With a scanner
- Pick the Store.
- Verify the Activate Date (defaults to today; change only if you're catching up).
- Type the Bin Number of the dispenser slot the pack is going into. Look at the dispenser — the number is printed on or near the slot.
- Scan the pack's ITF barcode.
- The system auto-fills Game Number and Pack Number, validates that the pack is currently confirmed (in the safe) for this store, and submits.
- A green toast confirms the pack is now active in the bin.
Without a scanner
- Pick the Store, Activate Date, and Bin Number as above.
- Pick the Game Number from the dropdown.
- Type the Pack Number (middle segment of the GAME-PACK serial — length depends on your state).
- Click Activate Pack.
Field reference
| Field | Required | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store | Yes | Dropdown | Must be the store the pack was confirmed at |
| Activate Date | Yes | Date picker | Defaults to today |
| Bin Number | Yes | Integer > 0 | Must be empty — one pack per bin. Bin numbers are physical dispenser slots. |
| Game Number | Yes | Dropdown | Must be a game already defined for your state |
| Pack Number | Yes | Per your state's pack-number length | Must be a pack currently in Confirmed or Inactive status for this store |
What "Active" means after you save
An active pack:
- Moves out of the Safe tab and into the Bins tab of Lottery Inventory
- Has its Bin # displayed everywhere it appears
- Will show up on Day Close Step 2 — you must scan its end-ticket at end of shift
- Is counted in the Active Packs KPI on the Lottery Dashboard and your lottery commission's "Activated Packs by Date" report
- Is sellable — your POS rings up the sale at the right price using the UPC-A on the back of the ticket. CStoreiQ does not decrement a specific pack at the time of sale; the per-pack sold quantity is reconciled at Day Close when you scan each active pack's end ticket.
The Activation Summary cards explained
The right-side panel uses real CStoreiQ math:
| Card | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Currently Active | Every pack at this store with binNo > 0 right now — the live total in your dispenser |
| Year Activated | All packs you've ever activated in the current calendar year (cumulative) |
| Month Activated | Packs activated this month |
| Week Activated | Packs activated in the current week |
| Today Activated | Packs activated today |
The dollar value next to each count is the sum of Pack Value for those packs (e.g., 40 active packs × $300 average = $12,000 in active inventory).
What can go wrong
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Pack is already active" | The pack is already in a bin | Use Move Pack if you want to relocate it |
| "Pack not found" | The pack was never confirmed at this store, or it has been returned | Confirm it first (Confirm Pack) |
| "Bin already in use" | Another pack is in that bin slot already | Pick a different bin, or Inactivate the existing pack first |
| "Bin Number is required" | You didn't enter a bin | Look at the dispenser — every slot has a printed number |
| Activate button stays disabled | Some required field is blank | Required fields are marked with a red asterisk |
Edge case — re-activating an inactive pack
If a pack was previously inactivated (pulled off the counter back into the safe), this same screen can put it back into a bin:
- Pick the Store.
- Scan the pack's barcode, or pick Game Number + type Pack Number manually.
- Enter the Bin Number you want it in (same or different from before).
- Click Activate Pack.
The pack's history is preserved — its existing beginTicketNo carries forward, and Day Close will compute sold quantity from where it left off.
Next steps
- Look at all active packs in Lottery Inventory → Bins tab
- At end of shift, run Day Close to scan the end-ticket on this and every other active pack
Related articles
- Lottery Module Overview — pack states and locations
- Move Pack — already active, just need to change bin slot
- Inactivate Pack — pull a slow seller off the counter
Related Articles
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