Missouri Lottery sales of $1 billion hit record

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri raked in a record $1 billion from lottery ticket sales in the fiscal year that just ended. The record sales came in the lottery's 25th anniversary year. Over the years, the amount of lottery money going to support public education has grown from $80 million in fiscal year 1987 to more than $259.4 million in fiscal year 2011. Missouri Lottery executive director May Scheve Reardon said in a news release that strong Scratchers sales fueled the increase, along with the Lottery's increased advertising budget. The release said sales are up more than 3 percent from the previous fiscal year.