RFI Central Gaming final clean .docx

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Central Gaming System and Related Services for the Illinois Lottery

Responses Due: August 10, 2025, at 1:00 PM CT

I. Purpose of the Request for Information (RFI) This is a request for information only.

The Illinois Lottery is issuing this RFI to solicit information from the gaming community (including vendors and consultants) regarding industry trends, innovations, and best practices in the current lottery landscape. The RFI seeks to initiate an open and transparent dialogue with vendors, industry consultants, and other knowledgeable parties interested in sharing industry information and their professional perspective, for the Illinois Lottery to consider in preparation for initiating a formal Request for Proposal (“RFP”) for a Central Gaming System and related services. .

This RFI is not a procurement and will not result in a participant receiving a contract, (44 Ill. Adm. Code 1.15). Responding to this RFI is not a prerequisite to participate in a future procurement or procurements and does not obligate the Illinois Lottery to conduct a future procurement. Further, a response to this RFI does not provide any advantages to the participant in a potential future RFP. All information received in a participant’s response will be available for public review. (44 Ill. Adm. Code 1.2050[j]) II. Submission

a. Important Information Regarding Submission This is a Request for Information (RFI) only. The RFI is not a procurement method and will not result in a participant receiving a contract. (44 Ill. Adm. Code 1.15). Responding to the RFI is not a prerequisite to participate in a future procurement(s) and does not obligate the Illinois Lottery to conduct a future procurement. Further, a response to this RFI does not provide any advantages to the participant in potential future Requests for Proposals (RFP). All information received in a participant’s response will be available for public review. (44 Ill. Adm. Code 1.2050[j]) You are invited to provide non-price information in response to the RFI. You are prohibited from providing pricing, the details of customized solutions, sample procurement specifications, or any other information outside the scope of the RFI because it could disqualify your organization from participating in future related procurements. (30 ILCS 500/50-10.5[e]). However, you may provide general information about industry trends and innovations, products, services, or industry best practices that are not specifically tailored to meet the State’s needs. For additional information on prohibited vs. non-prohibited information, please see 44 Ill. Adm. Code 1.2005(v).

b. Submission

Please provide your responses by: August 10, 2025

All responses must be submitted via BidBuy. Instructions to register via BidBuy are below.

If you have questions regarding where to locate the RFI, please email: LOT.Procurement@illinois.gov

c. Illinois BidBuy Portal Registration Once vendors are registered on the State of Illinois BidBuy Portal (the State’s electronic procurement and purchasing information system) they will receive official notices throughout the procurement process for this RFI and any official notices of future procurement solicitation opportunities for the State of Illinois. To register on BidBuy, access the following website for instructions:

https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/bidbuy.html For more information, please email: il.bidbuy@illinois.gov

d. Response Organization and Format Your submission should include information in-full or in-part as a response to the questions listed below. Information may include the vendor’s perspective on the topic and any other information the Illinois Lottery should consider when issuing an RFP for Private Management and other related lottery services.

III. Background “Central Gaming System” (CGS) means an integrated system responsible for, but not limited to, collecting wagers, conducting winner selection, gaming security and control, data management and reporting, financial management, claims processing, network monitoring, retail management, processing transactions and validations with respect to all lottery games.

IV. RFI Questions: Central Gaming System and Related Services

General Questions

1. What are the biggest technology challenges and opportunities with respect to CGSs in the US lottery industry over the next 3 – 5 years?

2. How does a Lottery prepare to address those technology challenges and take advantage of the opportunities over the next 3 – 5 years?

Retail Requirements Describe the industry standards or best practices regarding the selection, delivery and operation of the retail components of a CGS as described below:

1) Retail point of sale terminals, vending, kiosks, printers, scanners

2) Displays, jackpot signs, etc.

3) Content Management solution for displays, vending, etc.

4) Retailer Management (reporting, accounting, new accounts, closeouts, messaging, tax accounting, adjustments, bonuses, sweeps, incentive payments

5) Cashless management (equipment, solutions, anti-laundering, PCI compliance, payment methods, reporting, etc.)

6) Age identification verification and validation.

7) Scratch-Off Management (reporting, status, transactions, deliveries, activations, validations, settlements, returns, payouts, inventory management, etc.)

8) Ticket-by-ticket accounting for scratch-offs

9) Ticket cancellations

10) Terminal Security (access, data communications, etc.)

11) In-lane solutions, quick ticket, print on receipt, etc.

12) Terminal connectivity and redundancy

13) Retail Call Center,

14) Field, and technical service support, staffing model.

15) Retail Maintenance

16) Loyalty Programs

17) Customer Retail Relationship Management solution, survey capabilities

18) Omni-channel sales capabilities

19) New equipment and future technology innovation plans.

Application and System Delivery

a) Describe the industry standards or best practices regarding CGS System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), system integration plans, quality assurance testing, verification, and validation practices .

b) .

c) Which Project Management methodology is the most effective in delivering a CGS in the Lottery industry and why?

d) What are the core considerations when defining risk, priority, and scheduling of system, game, and security upgrades?

e) What are the various service level management approaches to address change, release, problem, and incident management?

f) What are the pros and cons of those service level management approaches?

Business and Technical Requirements

a) Describe the industry standard or best practices for designing and deploying the following:

1) Network Design and Redundancy (data center, connectivity to retail, inter-site location, 3rd party systems, back office, etc.)

2) Network Security

3) Network Administration and Monitoring

4) Network Bandwidth, Availability and Scalability

5) Use of cloud-based solutions

6) System Functionality and Capabilities

7) System Configuration, Primary and Secondary System

8) System Management and Monitoring

9) System Capacity (transaction volume, speed, etc.)

10) Data Management and Storage

11) Backup and Recovery

12) Random Number Generator Use and Certification

b) Describe the industry standards or best practices regarding the business capabilities of a CGS. Responses should minimally cover the essential business functions of a CGS in the subject areas listed below:

1) Games Management and Monitoring

2) Financial Management

3) Draw Game Controls

4) Claims and Payments (retail and lottery, validations, checks, cash, electronic payments, mobile claim options, etc.)

5) Business Intelligence (analytics, database management, reporting for systems, sales, retail, operations, security, etc.)

c) Describe the industry standard or most recognized approach when:

1) Implementing and maintaining a CGS

2) Integrating solutions with multiple 3rd party systems and networks

3) Developing and implementing access controls and administrative capabilities for users of the solution

4) Providing CGS solution support. e.g. Tier1, Tier 2, back office, etc. (availability, hours, and geographic location, etc.)

5) Adhering to Audit and MUSL Compliance requirements

6) Developing Service Level Agreements in all service and product areas.

d) Describe the industry standard or most recognized approach for addressing CGS security needs. Responses should minimally cover:

1) Physical security.

2) Cybersecurity, preventive measures, and response cyber-attacks.

3) Data breaches and incident communication plan.

4) Disaster recovery and business continuity including the essential components of a communication plan during a disaster scenario.

image1.png