The Maine State Lottery is set to rename their instant scratch-off tickets in a few weeks, but retailers in the area aren't a fan of the new, provocative moniker.
The state's director of the Maine Bureau Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, Gerry Reid, said after three weeks and over 50 name considerations, "Kwikies" was decided.
Reid said the name is due to the "quick, easy and fun" nature of the instant ticket. Maine store owners aren't happy with the idea.
“I thought that’s going to be real uncomfortable for my girls behind the register to have guys come in and say, ‘Hey, give me a Kwikie,’” David Welch, owner of Village Market in Fairfield told the Bangor Daily News.
Maine's scratch-off tickets are two-thirds of the state's lottery business, but the game currently has no name. Reid believes branding the game will make the state more money. Local businesses don't get the marketing ploy.
“I tried that on a couple of women. It didn’t go over very well,” Maine cashier Tom Borden told BDN. “They said, ‘Why don’t you just call them scratch tickets?’ I’m not sure [the Lottery] thought that through.”
