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Some lotteries see spike in sales growth amid pandemicNews Story
Not all lotteries mired in economic difficulty By Kate Northrop While some state lotteries are left trying to figure out how to make up for sales deficits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, other states are experiencing surges in lottery sales inversely driven by the overall economic slump. With the closure of thousands of retailers across the country, players were generally limited in their ability to purchase lottery tickets out of convenience. Sales for the major Powerball and Meg
Jul 15, 2020, 10:43 am - Lottery News

Pandemic continues to batter state lotteries and programsNews Story
While some states see sales increases, others bear the economic brunt By Kate Northrop Unsurprisingly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to batter state programs and lotteries as lottery revenue streams take a hit. While some state lotteries saw unprecedented sales increases within the past few months, diminished sales in other states leave others in a realm of uncertainty, looking for ways to make up for the deficits. Sales for nationwide draw games and state lottery games alike
Jul 13, 2020, 5:01 pm - Lottery News

Kentucky Lottery sales reboundNews Story
By Todd Northrop In Friday's meeting of the Kentucky Lottery Corporation's board of directors, it was announced strong sales in the month of May has helped get the lottery back on track to meet budgeted sales amounts for the year. According to Interim Chief Operating Officer Maggie Garrison, May sales were $132.1 Million, which is $33.7 Million or 31.9% more than budgeted. This was led by increases in our Scratch-off ticket sales, which jumped 46% or $29.4 million more than expected, she s
Jun 27, 2020, 9:14 am - Lottery News

Hoosier Lottery operator facing $3.6M fine for not meeting sales goalNews Story
By Kate Northrop IGT Indiana, the private operator of the Hoosier Lottery, may be required to pay a $3.6 million fine to the state should it not meet its $300 million sales goal a number that seems unobtainable at this point. The lottery is projected to generate about $295 million to be sent to state coffers, which would include the $3.6 million penalty should they not meet the threshold. Last year, the lottery sent a record $312 million to the state in surplus revenue, 6% higher than w
May 22, 2020, 7:24 am - Lottery News

Skyrocketing scratch-off sales indicate lotto players are resilientNews Story
By Kate Northrop While ticket sales and jackpots are down for draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions, Americans have no problem finding entertainment in other lottery alternatives. Vendors have been selling tickets for multi-state games during stay-at-home orders, but customers are understandably reluctant to take the time to pick out numbers and hand cash to attendants while making essential shopping trips. Instead, quick buys like scratch-off tickets make great substitutions for the
May 14, 2020, 2:08 pm - Lottery News

Louisiana public education takes a toll from decreased lottery proceedsNews Story
LA Lottery planning for a post-COVID-19 world By Kate Northrop With lower game participation levels amidst the nationwide COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, it is no surprise that state lottery revenues have taken a hit. Yesterday, Louisiana lottery officials announced that this would affect the proceeds used to help pay for K-12 public education. Louisiana law requires that at least 35% of lottery proceeds be transferred to the state treasury and contribute to public education. About 53% of
May 5, 2020, 3:06 pm - Lottery News

Idaho lottery still a popular bet during pandemic worriesNews Story
Despite a pandemic, many Idaho residents are apparently still feeling lucky. Idaho Lottery Director Jeff Anderson said Tuesday that ticket sales were down only about 5% last week, and that somebody snagged $250,000 in one the agency's games. Buying a lottery ticket does bring some sense of normalcy for folks, because things aren't normal now for a lot of people, Anderson said. Anderson also directs the Idaho State Liquor Division. He said some panic buying at state-operated liquor store
May 4, 2020, 9:26 am - Lottery News

State of Oregon forcing retailers to pay taxes on video lottery machines that are shut downNews Story
Hundreds of bars and restaurants already struggling to survive are now facing another financial setback. The Oregon Lottery is collecting taxes on each video lottery machine, even though the machines are shut down. I was absolutely floored. I could not believe it, said Gloria Huguley, owner of Newport Steak and Seafood. Huguley said she owes $2,082 in taxes for the six video lottery machines in her restaurant, which remains closed due to stay-at-home restrictions. The family-run restauran
Apr 30, 2020, 8:20 am - Lottery News

Cratering lottery revenue is bad luck for NJ state worker pensionsNews Story
There's a new cause for concern about New Jersey's chronically underfunded public-worker pension funds sagging state Lottery revenues. That's something of a double whammy for one of the nation's worst-funded state retirement systems, which has seen investment returns plummet precipitously during the coronavirus pandemic. So far this fiscal year, Lottery revenues, which serve as a dedicated source of funding for the pension system, are down more than 12% compared with the same period last y
Apr 27, 2020, 10:39 am - Lottery News

Texas Lottery sales surge amidst the COVID-19 pandemicNews Story
By Kate Northrop In an announcement on Tuesday afternoon, the Texas Lottery revealed that sales of scratch-off tickets surged to $112 million from the previous week's sales of $95 million. Revenue for scratch-off tickets during this week are up $15 million compared to 2019, a 16% increase. The boost comes after a month of weakened overall sales, mostly for draw games, that are likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The full report is available on the official Texas Lottery website. A s
Apr 24, 2020, 3:15 pm - Lottery News