Massachusetts lottery sales dropping

"....Two million tickets needed to be sold between May 1 and June 30 just to cover the costs of this drawing and break even, but Lottery officials were optimistic they could sell twice that amount and post close to a $40 million profit. Instead, only 1.35 million tickets were sold, resulting in a net loss of $13 million after all the prizes were paid out. That doesn't even count the $300,000 that was spent to advertise the game.

"Despite the poor sales, State Treasurer Tim Cahill is already planning ahead for future sweepstakes drawings. In fact, he is now talking about doing two major sweepstakes games a year to try to boost sales, which are down so far in 2007.

"...But the writing is on the wall. Although the Legislature set a target of 2 percent growth this year, Lottery sales have instead dropped by 1.5 percent, raising questions about how much longer the program can be expected to grow, and whether it has already reached its peak.

"...There is another possible option: sell or lease the Lottery to a private investor. Former governor Bill Weld recently visited with Cahill, members of the Patrick Administration and other top state officials to promote such a privatization plan..."