Lottery to hit a billion this weekend

Submitted by bniolet on June 6, 2008 - 12:29pm.
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Sometime this weekend, lottery sales for 2008 will hit $1 billion.

It's a milestone for the two-year-old lottery. Officials promised those kind of sales figures from day one, but this is the first year in which the lottery has broken the billion barrier.

Ticket sales are calculated at the end of the day and Thursday closed with $995,787,389, said Pam Walker, a spokeswoman for the state lottery. Friday sales may not break $4 million, but it is all but certain to happen sometime Saturday or Sunday, she said.

Sales have perked up since the governor and legislature agreed to let the lottery pay out more in prize money. Turns out, people don't want to buy lottery tickets unless they think they can win.

"We really have seen an increase," said John McArthur, chairman of the N.C. Lottery Commission.

McArthur said high gas prices have muted sales somewhat.

The lottery budgeted for $957 million in sales for fiscal 2008, which ends June 30.

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Re: Lottery to hit a billion this weekend

Submitted by uncgop on June 6, 2008 - 3:28pm.

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Re: Lottery to hit a billion this weekend

Submitted by uncgop on June 6, 2008 - 3:26pm.

Since it is apparent that the lottery seems to prospering in North Carolina, what have the citizens of North Carolina received? Is the education system/environment any better? Are the roads any better? In fact, have North Carolinians seen any real benefit from this lottery?

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