Indiana Lottery Gambling Down Almost Twenty Percent

Indiana, like many other states, relies heavily on their lottery sales to help fund different programs in the state. The 2009 fiscal year, however, was not a good one for the lottery with sales dropping by almost twenty percent.

The revenue generated by the Hoosier Lottery dropped by $40 million in the last fiscal year. That figure represents a decrease of 17.5% from 2008. Last year, revenue was $178 million, dropping from the $217 million in 2008.

One of the problems that the state incurred during 2009 was that jackpots were being hit on a much more consistent basis than in the past. When the jackpots rise to great figures, more people play the lottery and the lack of big jackpots was devastating to revenue in 2009.

"There are a lot of states that are experiencing declining lottery numbers in the past year," said CGW Gaming Analyst Roger Wheeler, "the increase in casinos and the economy have both contributed to negative lottery revenue figures."

The economy was another reason cited by Indiana as a reason for the drop off. The recession has kept people from having their usual amount of entertainment spending money and many of these people have had to cut back on their spending.

Money that was allotted for entertainment is now being used to pay bills throughout the country. With the recession nearing an end, state officials are hoping that sales will pick up again soon.

September 25, 2009
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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