Littlewoods tests swipe card scheme for pools

Littlewoods Pools is testing a new way to play the football pools, which swaps the coupon for a swipe card.

Traditionally, pools players have filled in their selection of score draws on a coupon and then handed it to a door-to-door collector or to retailers. But now the company is running trials of the swipe card, called The Poolscard, which carries a customer’s chosen numbers.

The pools collector carries a hand-held terminal and can swipe the customer’s card to register the sale, which is then downloaded to Littlewoods. Customers can pay the collector for one week or as many plays as they want. If they want to change their numbers, the card details can be amended.

Poolscard is being tested in Manchester, Solihull and Basildon. The terminals may also be placed in newsagents or retail outlets.

Littlewoods Leisure business development manager Chris Holmes says Poolscard will save customers filling in pools coupons, although they will still be able to do so if they want to change their numbers every week.

Last year, Littlewoods Pools spent 3.25m on advertising its three football-based games – Pools, Pools Goldrush and Spot the Ball – through DMB&B.

Littlewoods, the parent company, is preparing to centralise its 8m media buying account for its retail, home shopping, lotteries and pools divisions, and is also considering a review of its creative account.