Californian Record

Inside officials at the California Lottery have announced that they are on track to break the $3.3 billion sales record which was set last year. The fiscal year for the lottery ends on 30 June, 2006, and it has been confidently predicted that sales will reach somewhere in the region of $3.6 billion by that time. Jim Hasegawa, Director of Marketing with the California Lottery, told commissioners that, “Lottery sales are strong and are continuing to trend upward in California.”

So, where is all the extra money coming from? The official line points the finger at the Scratchers games, which have generated £114 million more in sales than at the same point last year, thanks to higher payouts. A further $62 million increase has been seen in total sales of Super LOTTO Plus and MEGA Millions – not surprising when you consider that the latter has had no less than eight jackpots in excess of $200 million since its launch in 2005.

The good news for California residents is that this record year will have a positive impact on the community. The California Lottery injected more than $1 billion into public schools last year, and it has been estimated that the figure will increase to around $1.26 billion this year.

18th May 2006

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