Virginia Lottery: Virginia Lottery reporting record first-quarter salesThe Virginia Lottery is hitting the jackpot - again.
The state-run numbers game announced yesterday that first-quarter sales for the budget year that began July 1 are the best ever since the lottery was started in 1988.
Sales reached $304.2 million, topping the previous record by approximately $27 million. Record sales for the first quarter - a period when sales are usually slack - have been reported for the past three years.
Two months ago, Gov. Mark R. Warner announced record profits for the just-ended fiscal year of more than $408 million against sales of $1.26 billion.
Lottery director Penelope W. Kyle said the new first-quarter record will yield profits of $98 million - funds that will go to public schools.
The Virginia Constitution designates lottery profits for elementary and secondary education.
"With the best first quarter in 16 years, the Virginia Lottery is off to another excellent start for this fiscal year," Kyle said in a written statement.
"And what is promising is that we experienced strong sales in all lottery product categories in a quarter that historically produces the lowest sales."
In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, the lottery distributed $174.5 million in prizes. Retailers collected $17 million in commissions.
