LOTTERY-PALOOZA
Arizona Lottery sales set record of nearly $1B
Hope sprang eternal last year, with Arizona Lottery sales setting a record of nearly $1 billion.
Arizonans and visitors to the state snapped up $981 million worth of tickets between July 2017 and June 2018. Of that, proceeds of $210 million went to fund various state-government programs, as well as the state’s general fund.
Most of the rest — around $580 million — was disbursed as winnings to players.
Last year’s record sales came despite the lack of a huge national jackpot such as the $1.6 billion Powerball of January 2016. Rather, Gregg Edgar, executive director of the Arizona Lottery, attributed the growth largely to customizing popular games and marketing strategies.
With the economy faring well and employment up, people also might have more money to buy lottery tickets, though Edgar said sales tend to fare well throughout the economic cycle.
Overall Arizona Lottery sales were up from $852 million in fiscal year 2017 and surpassed the prior record of $871 million in 2016, when
Notwithstanding the recent uptick, lottery sales in Arizona are actually below the national average.
there was a $1.6-billion national Powerball jackpot to stoke enthusiasm.
State programs that received money
Lottery proceeds funded 18 stategovernment programs and services, and the $210 million disbursed also set a record.
Proceeds went to various programs including the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Arizona and Arizona Game and Fish Department programs.
Other programs that were funded included those geared toward education, economic development, environmental conservation, and health and human services.
Lottery proceeds help fund programs and agencies that otherwise would need to rely more on tax dollars, Edgar noted.
The prior disbursement record for state programs was $205 million in
2016.
Also, retailers earned more than $65 million in commissions from lottery sales for the period ending in June 2018. Roughly 3,000 stores around Arizona earn commissions starting at 6.5 percent for selling lottery tickets and are eligible to earn more for hitting various sales targets.
Retailers also get bonuses for selling big jackpot-winning tickets.
Arizona sales lag
Notwithstanding the recent uptick, lottery sales in Arizona are actually below the national average. Arizonans ranked 31st among the 44 states that sponsor a lottery, with around $116 in annual percapita sales, reported LendEDU in a study released in March.
Massachusetts residents spent the most per capita at nearly $763. Americans overall spent an average of $223 per person on lottery tickets, according to the study, which relied on 2016 Census Bureau statistics.
Arizona Lottery revenues are bolstered by sales to residents of neighboring states who come here to buy tickets. Utah and Nevada — two states bordering Arizona — don’t have lotteries of their own.
In fact, Arizona Lottery’s retail location of the year, Beaver Dam Lodge, is based northwest of the Grand Canyon near both the Utah and Nevada borders, Edgar said.
Many winter visitors and other tourists also buy lottery tickets, he said, with Arizona Lottery sales often peaking in January and February.