December 20, 2012
Powerball sales boost state Lottery revenues for November
Advertiser

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sales for a record Powerball jackpot in November helped temporarily stem a decline in West Virginia Lottery revenues.

Fueled by the record $587.5 million jackpot, Lottery online ticket sales nearly doubled in November, from $5.8 million in October to $11.2 million.

State Lottery marketing director Nikki Orcutt said that on the day of the jackpot drawing, Nov. 28, state Lottery retailers were selling 130,000 Powerball tickets a minute.

Even with the surge of Powerball sales, overall Lottery revenues of $109.5 million for the month were up just $4.5 million over October, and down $4.4 million from $113.9 million in November 2011.

"Our racetracks are still struggling from a competitive basis," Jim Toney, deputy director for finance, told the Lottery Commission on Thursday.

Video lottery revenue at the four racetracks -- the largest revenue source for the Lottery -- was $50.6 million, down $8.6 million from November 2011, as new casinos in Ohio continue to draw business away from the West Virginia facilities.

Since July 1, year-to-date revenues for racetrack video slots are $277.7 million -- down $35.6 million, or about 13 percent, from the same point in 2011.

Meanwhile, revenues from limited video lottery offered in 1,494 bars and clubs around the state increased over 2011 figures.

November revenues for video lottery were $32.3 million, up about $400,000 over November 2011. Year-to-date video lottery revenues of $164.3 million are up $4.4 million over 2011.

Overall, the state's share of Lottery profits, $46.2 million for the month, is down about $4.2 million from November 2011. Year-to-date profits of $240.6 are down $12.5 million from 2011.

Also Thursday:

Recommended Stories

Copyright 2012 The Charleston Gazette. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Popular Videos
The Gazette now offers Facebook Comments on its stories. You must be logged into your Facebook account to add comments. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal page, uncheck the box below the comment. Comments deemed offensive by the moderators will be removed, and commenters who persist may be banned from commenting on the site.
Advertisement - Your ad here
Get Daily Headlines by E-Mail
Sign up for the latest news delivered to your inbox each morning.
Advertisement - Your ad here
News Videos
Advertisement - Your ad here
Advertisement - Your ad here