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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

NJ Lottery temporarily suspends sales and drawings for 5 Card Cash due to coronavirusNews Story
The New Jersey Lottery temporarily suspended sales and drawings of its 5 Card Cash, effective Monday, May 4, 2020, due to COVID-19. The temporary suspension of 5 Card Cash is designed to protect the health and safety of Lottery employees and its customers. Not only does this game require two additional staff members to be in the office beyond the teams for other drawings, it does not permit multi-draw play or advance play so purchases are only applicable to the day they are purchased. Play
Apr 30, 2020, 1:34 pm - 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

Masks: The new lotteryNews Story
Japanese electronics maker holds a lottery for the commodity after buyers flood the e-commerce website By Kate Northrop A new sort of lottery is brewing in Japan. Electronics manufacturer Sharp Corp. has adopted a new method of selling its popular face masks via a lottery. Unsurprisingly, Japanese hospitals, stores and consumers alike have found it difficult to acquire masks due to shortages and increased demand during the Covid-19 crisis. Sharp originally only shipped masks to medical
Apr 24, 2020, 2:22 pm - Lottery News

Virginia Lottery March profits took a big hitNews Story
The Virginia Lottery is still running during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its March profits dropped 28 percent, according to a new agency report. The Lottery took in $48 million in profits for March, down more than a quarter compared to the same month last year. Though Gov. Ralph Northam has shut down virtually all types of indoor entertainment including the Rosie's gambling facilities operated by Colonial Downs he has not ordered the Lottery, a state agency, to stop selling tickets. Most Lo
Apr 22, 2020, 6:45 pm - Lottery News

Strong Iowa lottery sales are slipping: The culprit? You guessed it, COVID-19News Story
After eight months of Iowa Lottery ticket sales topping budgeted projections, those sales are starting to arc downward. One of the reasons: 95 of the retail outlets selling lottery tickets are shuttered under Gov. Kim Reynolds' COVID-19 orders, Iowa Lottery officials said Wednesday. Through the first three quarters of fiscal 2020, lottery sales were running 1.8 percent ahead of last year's record pace. However, sales of lottery products in March were about $2 million short of the budgeted
Apr 21, 2020, 8:21 am - Lottery News

Mississippi lottery revenue dips in March amid pandemicNews Story
State revenue from the Mississippi Lottery decreased in March as people began facing restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Mississippi Lottery Corporation said it deposited $9.9 million into the state treasury the net proceeds from lottery games played during March. Mississippi has collected more than $37.5 million from the lottery since it started operating in November. The state collected $11.6 million from lottery games played in February, $8.4 million during January
Apr 21, 2020, 7:41 am - Lottery News