BISMARCK – Ticket sales for the North Dakota Lottery are running nearly $6.5 million ahead of the previous year’s pace, thanks to a $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot in January that significantly boosted sales, Lottery Director Randy Miller said Tuesday in an update to state lawmakers.
Since the current fiscal year began July 1, sales have totaled $25.3 million through February, a 34 percent increase over the same period the previous year, Miller told the Legislature’s interim Judiciary Committee.
The lottery reported sales of $26.7 million in fiscal year 2014 and $27 million in fiscal year 2015. Roughly half of that went to prizes.
Since the voter-approved lottery began in March 2004, sales have totaled $268.9 million, yielding net proceeds of about $76.7 million. Of that, $68.9 million has been transferred to the state’s general fund, $2.4 million to a compulsive gambling prevention and treatment fund and $3.38 million to a grant fund for the state’s nine regional drug task forces.
With the increased sales so far this year, the lottery projects sales will total $33 million and transfers will total about $9.2 million, with $8.5 million of that going to the general fund.
ADVERTISEMENT
