Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers may be banking long-term budget strategies on a revamped state lottery producing enhanced revenues.
But for now, sales from the existing California Lottery are sputtering compared to a year ago, the state lottery commission learned this week.
Lottery ticket sales, including Super Lotto Plus, Mega Millions, Fantasy 5 and scratcher games, dropped by 10 percent during the first four months of the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The $985 million in ticket sales represented a $105 million drop in sales compared with the same period last year.
Lottery officials blamed the economic downturn for the drop in sales and also cited the lack of big jackpots to inspire ticket purchases.
Read the full story at sacbee.com.