State Lotteries Face Tough Competition from Casino Gambling

The growth of instant win scratch-off tickets with prizes up to $1 million dollars is fueling the bottom line of many U.S. state lotteries.

Faced with tough competition from riverboat, Internet and casino gambling, state lotteries have had to come up with new games to keep players interested. While multistate lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions compete by offering ever bigger prizes, sales of high-priced scratch-off tickets have soared 59 percent since 2001, the 2006-07 Indian Gaming Industry Report found.

La Fleur's Magazine, which tracks U.S. lottery sales, said scratch-offs now account for 55 percent of all lottery revenues now outselling traditional lottery drawing games.

Lotteries pumped about $16 billion into state coffers in 2005 and are one of the most important sources of education funding.

June 27, 2006
Posted By Bob Hartman
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!