Lottery chief hopes new games boost sales

Thursday, February 01, 2007 posted 03:13 PM EST

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The head of the state's lottery said he hopes to spur sales this spring by adding two new games and a new wrinkle to an existing one.

Tom Shaheen, executive director of the North Carolina Education Lottery, also asked for patience from people who have criticized the lottery for falling short of its first-year sales goal. Lottery sales are expected to miss their $1.2 billion goal by $200 million.

"Obviously I'm in a business to raise money, and I want to raise as much as we can," Shaheen said Tuesday. "But to raise $1 billion the first year is a big accomplishment."

Players have spent more than $700 million on the lottery since it started March 30. The law requires that 35 percent of the money generated by the lottery go directly to education, meaning the games are now expected to bring $350 million to education in its first year.

"We've been hugely successful," Shaheen told the group.

But scratch-off sales, which drive revenues, have fallen steadily from $52 million in July to less than $37 million in December.

Shaheen hopes to increase sales in part with a raffle game.

Shaheen also proposes a NASCAR-themed scratch-off game that could start in March.

He also plans to add a feature to Powerball that would allow players to multiply their winnings by up to 10 times by paying an extra dollar.

Related Links
	Lottery News & Stories
	North Carolina Lottery Results
	Search Past North Carolina Lottery Winning Numbers