In desperate times, people turn to ..... The Lottery [View All]

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AP, via Yahoo!:



Many states' lottery sales are rising in recession
Consumers hope to get lucky using scratch-offs, daily lotteries as tickets to better finances

Juanita Cousins, Associated Press Writer
Sunday January 11, 2009, 7:51 pm EST


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Even in these tough economic times, many people are feeling lucky.

More than half of all states with lotteries have reported rising sales over the past six months, and some researchers say financial insecurity might be driving people to risk more of their money than usual on $1 and $5 instant scratch-offs and other daily games in hopes of a big payoff.

"Someday somebody is going to win and I hope it is me," said Albert Atwood of Nashville, who spends $100 weekly playing the Pick 5 and Lotto Plus. "I imagine that I would be a heap better off if I saved this money, but everybody has dreams."

Driven by regulars like Atwood and a growing number of occasional players, 25 of 42 states with lotteries have experienced higher sales of scratch-off and daily lottery games since July, according to Scientific Games, a maker of scratch-offs.

-- In Washington, D.C., instant sales reached a record of $45 million in the 2008 fiscal year, representing an 11 percent year-over-year increase.

-- In Tennessee, sales of instant lottery games were up $8 million during the fiscal first quarter ending in October.

-- The Massachusetts lottery reached a record of $4.7 billion in sales during the last fiscal year, up from $4.4 billion in the previous year. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Many-states-lottery-sales-are-apf-14025453.html