Reading a Lottery Ticket Barcode
Every CStoreiQ Lottery screen that asks you to identify a pack — Confirm, Activate, Move, Inactivate, Return, Day Close — accepts the same input: scan the ITF barcode that is printed on the pack and on every individual ticket in it. This article shows what that barcode contains so you know what your scanner is sending into the system, and what to type if you ever have to enter the numbers manually.
You do not need to memorize barcode rules to do your job. A handheld scanner reads the whole code and CStoreiQ splits it into Game / Pack / Ticket automatically. Read this article when a scan won't work and you need to type the numbers in by hand.
Where the numbers live on a real ticket
A scratch ticket carries three different codes, each for a different job:
| Code | Where it lives | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| ITF / Interleaved 2 of 5 barcode | Back of the ticket | Inventory tracking — this is the only one CStoreiQ scans |
| UPC-A retail barcode | Back of the ticket | POS sale — your register rings up the ticket at the right price |
| Validation code | Front of the ticket, hidden under the scratch latex | Cashout — the cashier reveals it and the lottery terminal checks if the ticket won |
The front of the ticket — the play area — has nothing CStoreiQ uses. The validation code under the scratch latex is for the lottery terminal during cashout only.
Back of the ticket — ITF (Interleaved 2 of 5) barcode
The slim, long barcode on the back of the ticket is ITF-2 of 5. CStoreiQ scans this barcode for every Lottery action: confirm, activate, move, inactivate, return a pack, and Day Close.
It encodes the Game-Pack-Ticket serial as a continuous string of digits.
Back of the ticket — UPC-A barcode
The fat, standard retail barcode — also on the back — is UPC-A. This is what your POS rings up when you sell the ticket to a customer. It contains only the game (price tier), not the individual pack or ticket — so the POS knows the price but does not commit a specific ticket number.
CStoreiQ does not scan UPC-A in the Lottery module. Use the ITF for everything in this section.
Front of the ticket — validation code (cashout only)
Under the scratched-off latex on the front of the ticket is a small validation code the cashier reveals when a customer brings in a possible winner. That code is what the lottery terminal reads to decide whether the ticket won, and for how much. The cashout flow is independent of CStoreiQ — back-office inventory does not see or use this code.
What the digits mean (state lottery format)
The printed serial number on a ticket looks like:
1347 — 109713 — 195
It has three parts:
| Part | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Game number | 1347 |
The ID for the game (the lottery commission issues this) |
| Pack number | 109713 |
The ID for the specific book |
| Ticket number | 195 |
Which ticket inside the pack (001 to N) |
The number of digits in each segment depends on your state's lottery format, which is configured per store under Setup → Store Lottery Setup. The example above (1347-109713-195) shows one common pattern.
Real-world example
The image below shows the front (top) and back (bottom) of an actual $1 BONUS HAND BLACKJACK scratch ticket — the lottery commission game 1347. The dashed serial line on the back reads 1347 — 109713 — 195:
| Segment | Digits | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Game # | 1347 |
BONUS HAND BLACKJACK — a $1 scratch game |
| Pack # | 109713 |
One specific pack of game 1347 |
| Ticket # | 195 |
Ticket number 195 inside pack 109713 |
The serial is printed in two places on the back — once near the top, and again next to the ITF barcode at the bottom.
Another example — a $5 GIANT JUMBO BUCKS ticket (game 1996, pack 548394, ticket 019). The front (first image) shows the play area; the back (second image) shows the ITF barcode that encodes the serial 1996-548394-019 and the UPC-A retail barcode 687355 81996:
And a POWERBALL online (draw-style) ticket — completely different from scratch-offs. Online tickets are not part of pack inventory: they are printed on demand by the lottery terminal when a customer asks for a draw entry, and they roll into the Online totals on Day Close rather than being tracked individually in CStoreiQ.
Older games can use a shorter game number
Some older lottery games have a shorter game number than today's standard. CStoreiQ accepts the older length too — it uses your store's state configuration to interpret the serial correctly.
What CStoreiQ does with a scan
When your handheld scanner reads the ITF barcode on a ticket and CStoreiQ's barcode field is focused, the system:
- Reads the full string of digits the scanner sent
- Looks at your store's state code (configured under Setup → Store Lottery Setup)
- Uses your state's configured barcode format to slice the string into game, pack, and ticket segments
- Auto-fills the Game Number and Pack Number fields on the screen you're on
If the barcode does not match the expected length for your state, you'll see a toast at the top of the screen — re-scan, or switch to Manual Entry and enter the numbers in.
Manual entry — what to enter
When you can't scan (damaged barcode, scanner offline), every Lottery screen has a Manual Entry path. Enter each segment in its own field:
| Field | How it works in the UI | Where to find the value on the ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Game Number | Picked from a dropdown of games already registered for your store's state — you do not type it | First segment of the serial on the back of the ticket (e.g., 1347). Also on the lottery delivery receipt. |
| Pack Number | Typed as a number — length depends on your state | Middle segment of the serial on the back (e.g., 109713). Also listed on the delivery receipt under Shipment Inventory Details. |
| Ticket Number (Day Close / Return only) | Typed as a number — length depends on your state | Last segment of the serial on the back of the specific ticket (e.g., 195). |
You do not type the dashes. CStoreiQ stores the segments as separate numbers.
If the Game Number you need is not in the dropdown, it has not been added yet — open Add Game first.
A typical scanner is the easiest path
Lottery retailers use ordinary 1D laser handheld scanners (the same scanners that read store UPCs). The lottery commission ships every retailer with a compatible model. As long as your scanner reads ITF / Interleaved 2 of 5 (most do, by default), it will work with every CStoreiQ Lottery screen.
Tip: the Quick Scan banner at the top of Confirm Pack, Activate Pack, Move Pack, Inactivate Pack, and Return Pack auto-submits the moment a scan ends in a carriage return — you can scan dozens of packs in a row without clicking anything else. See Confirm Pack → Batch Scan mode.
Pack numbers on the delivery receipt
When a lottery shipment arrives, the Instant Ticket Delivery Receipt lists every pack number you received under a section called Shipment Inventory Details. Each row reads as Game—Pack — for example, 858—511721 means game number 858, pack number 511721.
You can type these numbers directly into Confirm Pack if you don't want to scan each barcode.
Why the system needs all three numbers
| Number | Used by | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Game # | Every screen | Identifies the game master (price, name, total tickets per pack) |
| Pack # | Every screen | Identifies the specific book — uniquely, per store |
| Ticket # | Day Close, Return Pack | Tells the system the highest ticket sold so far — sold qty is computed from begin-ticket vs. end-ticket |
If you only have the Game and Pack (no individual ticket number), you can still confirm, activate, move, and inactivate the pack. The ticket number is only needed at Day Close (to compute that day's sold quantity) and on Return Pack (to record where the pack was when it left).
Related articles
- Lottery Module Overview — pack lifecycle, the meaning of bin and safe
- Confirm Pack — receive a new shipment using the barcodes from the delivery receipt
- Day Close — scan the end-ticket on every active pack at end of shift
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