Bill Express went into receivership yesterday, leaving newsagents around the country in an uncertain position.

"This is very serious for newsagents in Tasmania, the flow-on effects of this potentially have huge consequences," Australian Newsagents Association spokesman Dom Macaskill said.

"Bill Express doesn't just process bill payments. It's the system for things like mobile phone recharge vouchers and calling cards."

Mr Macaskill said without the Bill Express system's flow-on effects some newsagents may find things difficult.

"If people can't pay bills and buy mobile phone credit, they won't purchase other goods and will find other ways of doing so," he said.

The Bill Express collapse comes on the back of Tattersall's forced pull-out of some lotto games, which represented 15 per cent of newsagents' trade.

The collapse has also put pressure on Aurora Energy customers who exclusively used the Bill Express recharge system for its Pay- As-You-Go power service.

Aurora Energy is in the process of rolling out a back-up payment system across the state, but some customers could be left without the means of purchasing power.

"Our priority is to ensure our Pay-As-You-Go customers remain connected on these cold winter days," Aurora Energy general manager Paul Bloomfield said.

The Pay-As-You-Go system is used by more than 45,000 Tasmanian households.

Aurora advised customers to contact customer service if they find themselves likely to run out of power.