ND1206116

Title: Arizona Enjoys Record Lottery Sales

Description: Lottery sales in the Grand Canyon State increased 14 percent from fiscal 2009 to 2010, the largest increase in the country.

Page Content:

PHOENIX, AZ ? Despite rising unemployment and record home foreclosures, Arizona?s lottery, like many nationwide, has realized near record sales, Bloomberg News reports.

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But whereas the good fortunes of other state lotteries have been attributed mainly to economically squeezed players aspiring to quick wealth, Arizona took a strategic approach to bolstering its lottery.

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The Grand Canyon State?s lottery held focus groups, introduced new games, upgraded the look of its tickets, recruited new retailers, increased jackpots and raised its advertising budget by nearly 50 percent.

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As a result, lottery sales took off: ticket sales increased 14 percent from fiscal 2009 to 2010, the largest increase in the country. And in the 12 months that ended June 30, sales were up nearly six percent to a record $584 million.

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?Especially during a recessionary period, players were looking for a reason to play the game,? said Jeff Hatch-Miller, 66, executive director of the Arizona Lottery. ?What we saw was people were pulling back on their expenditures unless they had some value-added propositions.?

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As reported recently in NACS Daily, 17 states have sent lottery sales records over the past year.

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Content Subject: Marketing/Merchandising

Formatted Article Date: December 6, 2011

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