KHAS Weather
Nebraska’s lottery sales go up in down economy
For the ninth consecutive year, lottery sales in the state of Nebraska have reached an all-time high.
Nebraskans continue to take a gamble, even in a down economy, looking for that big payoff to solidify their financial futures. State and local officials say the increased interest in lotto games and scratch tickets likely isn't the result of people turning to the games as a monetary last resort, rather pure pleasure. "We have quite a few customers that come in first things in the morning, get a cup of coffee, get 1 or 2 scratch tickets," said Angelique Kleinschmidt, Casey’s General Store. Nebraska Lottery's sales were estimated at $131.7 million for the 2010 fiscal year, a $1 million increase over the previous year. "We get small winners every day, we get some 100 ever so often, but it stays steady most of the time," said Kleinschmidt. Caroline Brouillette won big playing the Nebraska lottery. "Won $100 thousand on $10 platinum play out," said Caroline Brouillette, Lotto Winner. And those winnings went far. "Bought a different vehicle for my husband, we put some into a garage, fixed up our bathroom, paid off some bills, we gave some to our daughters, and we still have a little bit left," said Brouillette. The Nebraska lottery says a lot of things will impact sales, not just necessarily the economy. They also say promotions and higher payouts and jackpots tend to drive sales more than the consumer's financial standing. "Our $50 thousand winner, golden goose winner was one of our regular customers, he comes in every morning buys tickets and coffee," said Kleinschmidt. And for those who are considering turning to the lottery as a get-rich-plan, there's good news on the horizon. A basic Powerball ticket will go up a dollar, which will increase the minimum jackpot by $20 million dollars and will also increase the number of people buying tickets. "It depends on how big it is, sometimes if it's in the millions it will really go up, we get people who buy $30 worth of quick picks of even $100 ," said Kleinschmidt. That dollar increase goes up beginning in January. The jackpot will begin at $40 million dollars. It's important to note that the Nebraska Lottery has provided $413 million to numerous state beneficiaries in support of areas such as education, state parks, the state fair and compulsive gamblers assistance. |
On Demand
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
PollLocal Gas Prices
Most Popular
KHASTV LinksKHASTV on FacebookWeather Closings |
Most Popular