Pa. lottery holds its own as most states' decline

Lottery sales are down around most of the country.

Not in Pennsylvania.

The Keystone State is up about 1 percent in its lottery sales for fiscal year 2009 through January, according to state officials.

That's in contrast to its neighbor New Jersey, which said it is down about 1 percent in its lottery sales — losses of about $4 million.

Pennsylvania's 1 percent growth means about $18.3 million in addition revenue, according to Stephanie Weyant, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Revenue.

The Department of Revenue oversees the finances of the state lottery.

Pennsylvania's lucky streak likely is going to continue at least through today, when the Powerball jackpot is more than $173 million for tonight's drawing.

The Powerball drawing airs locally on WNEP Channel 16 at 11 p.m.

"We've been helped out by the Powerball recently, there's no doubt about that," Weyant said. "But I think a lot of it is the Pennsylvania Lottery workers being very aggressive in their marketing."

Weyant said she had seen a study late last year that showed lottery sales were up in only 11 states — Pennsylvania was one of them.

The economy affects lottery revenue in two ways: Players may continue to play in hard times, but often buy fewer tickets. "We're hearing from our players that they're playing less, yes," Weyant said.

In addition, the poor economy hits lottery retailers — newsstands, gas stations, grocery stores, whatever. Some of them have closed, and the Weyant said the state is down about 140 retailers from this time last year.

"Don't get us wrong, we're down from our projections," she said. "We were looking for a 4 to 5 percent growth this year. But with everything going on, we're pleased to be 1 percent ahead."

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