State lottery sales were up 13-percent in the last fiscal year. Lottery officials say legislation approved last year has helped -it gave them more control over how much they can pay out in prizes. Alex Traverso with the California Lottery says the new game, a ten-dollar "scratcher" ticket, gives players a chance to win one million dollars instantly. He says he hopes it will boost sales even more.
TRAVERSO: "We're shooting for a sales goal of four-billion dollars this fiscal year. Which would be the biggest year the California lottery's ever had. In 2005, our sales were three-point-six billion and that was our highest year on record…"
Traverso says last year's increased sales resulted in an additional $40 million for schools. Scratcher tickets accounted for nearly sixty percent of lottery sales last year.
