Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 26, 1990 TAG: 9007260386
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
"We're really pleased with over $156 million to turn in," said Ken Thorson, lottery director.
Lottery sales of $54.5 million in June brought total sales to $474.8 million for the fiscal year ending June 30.
Ray Patterson, the lottery's director of administration and finance, presented the preliminary figures Wednesday to the Lottery Board. The figures will be audited before the money is turned over to the state's general fund. The audit must be completed by Aug. 14.
Spokeswoman Paula Otto said the lottery transferred about $140 million to the state last year, when the lottery had been operating for the first nine months.
"It's hard to match the first year," Otto said. "The second year is often referred to in the lottery business as `the sophomore slump.' "
But she said the weekly Lotto game, which began in January, provided an unexpected boost to instant ticket and Pick-3 sales in the second half of the fiscal year.
"We were counting on Lotto to help us out," Otto said.
She said total weekly lottery sales were averaging $7 million before Lotto and jumped to $10 million after the game started, despite that Lotto ticket sales accounted for only $2 million weekly.
Of the $474.8 million in sales for the fiscal year, instant game sales accounted for $249.9 million and on-line sales accounted for $224.9 million. Of the on-line total, Pick-3 sales were $170.7 million compared with $54.2 million for the six-month-old Lotto game.
Brent Pennington, lottery sales director, told the board his staff is investigating the possibility of using lottery ticket vending machines.
Pennington said the units, similar to automatic bank teller machines, could be located in places such as supermarkets, auditoriums and bus stops.
by CNB