While many lottery retailers remain open, as tickets are sold in essential businesses such as grocery and convenience stores, lottery officials say sales have dropped significantly during the health crisis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
“Since last week, more states and cities have asked their residents to stay at home, which has affected normal consumer behaviors and Powerball game sales,” Mineo explained. “In response to the public health crisis, interest rates have declined. As a result, additional game sales are necessary to fund comparable jackpot amounts.”<\/p>\n
Officials at the Pennsylvania Lottery, one of the largest lottery businesses in the country, said sales have dropped about 25 percent.<\/p>\n
Numerous state lottery officials are reporting reduced sales. And some retailers aren’t too happy to even be selling the tickets.<\/p>\n
In Michigan, retailers are calling on the state to shutter the lottery during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\nThey’re endangering the store owners, the customers,” said Martin Manna, president of the Chaldean Chamber of Commerce in Detroit. “They’ve been asking: why is the Michigan Lottery essential? You have people coming in multiple times a day to buy the lottery. That’s dangerous.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Michigan Lottery spokesperson Jeff Holyfield said the lottery “will deactivate Lottery equipment for any retailer upon request and without penalty.”<\/p>\n
In Pennsylvania, lottery spokesperson Ewa Dworakowski explained, “Because the Lottery’s mission is to generate funding for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians, there are currently no plans to suspend operations. Many of the essential businesses that remain open, such as grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies, are also Lottery retailers.”<\/p>\n
Online lottery games are offered in eight states: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lottery sales across the US are down due to the coronavirus pandemic, as millions of Americans are on on lockdown. As a result, Powerball is further adjusting its game play. The Powerball Product Group announced this week that following the April 8 drawing, the interstate lottery game’s advertised jackpot will no longer come with an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":132066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13699],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Lottery Sales Plummet Nationwide, Powerball Further Amends Jackpot<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n