With the launch of the Wyoming Lottery just over a month away, officials will begin a statewide advertising campaign and training the retailers who will be selling the tickets.

The Wyoming Lottery Commission heard reports Wednesday from staff on last-minute details leading to the first Powerball and Mega Millions ticket sales on Aug. 24. It is Wyoming's first foray into the lottery frenzy that has become a fixture in most other states.

Wyoming Lottery CEO Jon Clontz said he expects more than 400 businesses statewide to be selling tickets on the first day.

"The fact that we're going to launch with 400 at launch time is a significant achievement, and we are going to get the coverage that we need," Clontz said.

Advertising the lottery starts with Cheyenne Frontier Days, which begins this weekend, and goes statewide through newspapers, television and radio.

The lottery will have booths set up at the rodeo and entries in the rodeo parade on Saturday, officials said.

In addition, training for ticket retailers on the lottery machines and other aspects of the lottery will start Aug. 3, Clontz said.

"We'll cover the entire state. We'll do it close enough to go live, that it should be fresh in their mind, and we should be ready to go for the 24th," he said.

Brian Gamroth, chairman of the Wyoming Lottery Commission, noted the great deal of work that has gone into getting the lottery up and running.

"You will see this as a very Wyoming product and certainly underlining again the fact that the dollars made are coming right back into the state and right back into cities, towns and counties," Gamroth said. "So I think it will resonate very, very well."

The lottery is expected to net about $6 million a year for Wyoming after expenses and prizes. The first $6 million of proceeds will go to local governments. Anything above that total goes to a school fund.