Show HN: Jackpocket- Buy your $586M Mega Millions ticket right from your phone

http://www.jackpocket.com/

by pjsullivan3 • 13 years ago

27 27 13 years ago

pjsullivan33• 13 years ago

We've been super quiet about this and are not really ready to ship yet (bunch of bugs) but decided to let you guys give it a try since the Mega Millions is so big.

If you're on iOS you can use the code "money" to try it

rory096• 13 years ago

I'm getting "Location must be enabled to use JackPocket" here in VA on my S3 running ICS. Looks like it's attempting to get a GPS lock and timing out before it gets one. Any reason you all need fine location data and coarse won't cut it?

Cool idea though- I'll definitely give it a shot if it starts working!

lshemesh7• 13 years ago

Totally should have mentioned this earlier. For now we're only going to be supporting NY lotteries, that's where our tickets are bought. In order to comply with current lottery rules, you have to be physically in the state of the lottery you're playing. We use GPS fencing to accomplish this.

mbesto• 13 years ago

Good luck with the business Pete. Had no idea you were on HN!

- Besto

frankdenbow• 13 years ago

Showed this to my aunt and she loved it (has been playing lotto for over a decade). If they can leverage push notifications effectively and find a subscription model that works, I think it could be big.

Disclosure: I won $1 on this app a few weeks back

danb349• 13 years ago

Really simple way to buy lottery tickets. Have been using it myself! Good job.

lshemesh7• 13 years ago

Hey HN CTO of Jackpocket here. This has been an incredibly fun project to build. If anyone has any technology questions, happy to answer them best I can.

matt_heimer• 13 years ago

Is it a subscription delivery service like this: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/04/lottogopher-com...

lshemesh7• 13 years ago

Hey thanks for the comment! It is not a subscription delivery service as of yet. We first wanted to nail down the basics of allowing users to select their numbers and get their lottery tickets from the comfort of their own homes.

Jemaclus4• 13 years ago

How does this work? It's my understanding that you must have a physical ticket to claim your lottery winnings. How does that work with a mobile app? And what's to prevent Jackpocket from using my winning ticket to claim the winnings themselves?

Not really clear on the legality of anything here. I'm trying to "imagine the possibilities", as the site says, and I'm coming up with a lot of questions that aren't addressed. Where's a FAQ?

lshemesh7• 13 years ago

FAQ isn't available quite yet, we'll be adding one soon. Jackpocket buys the lottery ticket on your behalf, and actually sends you a digital image of it. Your trust, and a whole bunch of fancy legal docs are what prevents us from cashing in your tickets. If you do happen to win, we retrieve the money for you, credit your Jackpocket account, and allow you to withdraw the money directly into a bank account of your choosing. Happy to answer any other questions you might have.

rybosome• 13 years ago

Hey there,

Just wanted to offer some feedback that you may want to address this issue more clearly. Being frank, I would not feel comfortable gambling the (insanely unlikely) $500+ million jackpot with a relatively faceless entity, especially without confronting this issue of trust directly. Although the terms page is quite readable and free of legalese, the idea of allowing someone to purchase such a high-value item on my behalf makes me skittish.

Jemaclus4• 13 years ago

Yeah, that's not cool. I wouldn't trust anyone with a $50 million piece of paper that I won, contract or not.

Good luck, though.

aaronchriscohen• 13 years ago

Really love how it sends me a push if my numbers hit. No need to check my tickets at the bodega scanner which never works.

Splendor• 13 years ago

I was unable to use it. It told me location access needed to be enabled even though it already was. Nexus 4 running KitKat.

guardanis• 13 years ago

Hi Splendor, I'm the Android developer for it and I'm sorry to hear you're having issues with the geo-fencing, but I will try to help you out. Currently, the application uses Google Play Services (a connective library for Google Play's APIs) in order to grab your location to make sure you're in New York.

If you're getting an error saying that Location must be enabled in order to use it, it means that your device claims the GPS Provider, the Network Provider, AND the Passive Provider are ALL disabled when attempting to grab your location.

If you're sure they're enabled in your settings (where the App's error message should take you), I would try restarting the device.

If the issue still persists, please shoot me an email at matt@jackpocket.com and I will help you get it working

PeterWhittaker• 13 years ago

Cue legislative response to disruptive use of technology in 3... 2... 1...!

I love apps like this - way cool, and will cause some politicos to flounder and babble and froth as they seek to rationalize and apologize for current rights patent.

Urgo2• 13 years ago

Tip: link to the google play store. Don't 'text me' a link. I can install it from the pc. You lost me right there.

lshemesh7• 13 years ago

We'd love to send you to the Play store, but unfortunately the Google Play store is very strict regarding gambling. Interestingly enough, the Apple store isn't as strict. Go figure. Thanks for the comment!

Urgo2• 13 years ago

Gotcha.. that makes sense.. even a link to an apk w/ screen shots though or a QR code would be much preferred. Having a box to enter my phone # makes me think I'm going to get spammed and I immediately click off.

zaarons• 13 years ago

This is by far the easiest way to buy lotto tickets. I once bought a ticket from a bodega that won a few numbers and I lost it. This way I will never lose a ticket again.

Show HN: Jackpocket- Buy your $586M Mega Millions ticket right from your phone

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