| 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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