Lottery sales strong in weak economy

The lousy economy hasn’t stopped Georgians from playing the lottery.

However, retailers are selling fewer tickets for the big-money games.

Georgia Lottery officials said Wednesday that sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2009, which began July 1, rose from $842 million to $871 million.

That may not seem like much of an increase, but everything else, from state sales tax collections to the income tax takes, have been heading south this year. Gov. Sonny Perdue and lawmakers are looking for $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion in spending cuts to keep the state’s budget in the black.

Lottery sales go to pay for the HOPE scholarship and pre-kindergarten classes. Ticket sales don’t impact the general state budget.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2009, sales in instant win games, Keno and Cash 4, continued to climb.

However, sales for big-money Mega Millions dropped about 30 percent, from $65.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2008 to $46.4 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2009. Win for Life ticket sales also dropped.

Still, with higher total sales, more money will be returned to the state for HOPE and pre-kindergarten.

Georgia’s lottery has been among the most successful in the country, with only one down year since the games began in 1993.