Lottery sales exceed $1 billion; scratch-offs hot

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- For the first time, Missouri Lottery sales for one year have exceeded $1 billion.

Lottery officials said Tuesday that the figure is 4 percent higher than 2007's total of $963 million. Scratch-off tickets accounted for two-thirds of all 2008 lottery revenues with sales up almost 8 percent over the previous year.

Lottery spokesman Gary Gonder said the $1 billion mark is "an internal goal we've had for quite awhile." Now lottery officials are shooting for the same milestone in the fiscal year that ends June 30, which is how the Legislature assesses the lottery's annual performance.

Gonder said the odds of that happening aren't good, citing a 16-percent drop in Powerball sales in the first half of the fiscal year. Powerball is Missouri's second-most popular lottery game.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com