Ohio Lottery Profits Soar Due to Racinos and Increased Scratch-off Sales
Wednesday July 23rd 2014The Ohio Lottery’s record-breaking profits for the 2014 fiscal year are largely due to the rising popularity of instant win games and racinos. A stunning $3.2 billion in revenue was brought in from ticket sales, with $904 million in profits transferred to educational programs that benefit Ohio public schools.
Racinos are a blend of race tracks and casinos. Players can wager on horse or dog racing while having the opportunity to play slots games and table games such as blackjack, roulette and poker. In Ohio, these facilities have considerably boosted lottery revenues thanks to the fact that they offer video lottery games such as keno and EZPLAY games. This combined approach to gaming entertainment has proven to be very successful, with racinos and similar facilities raising more than $146 million in revenue during the 2014 fiscal year.
New instant win games have also boosted sales. The Ohio Lottery introduced a $30 scratch-off game, the most expensive game in its history, to celebrate its 40th anniversary in January. This 40th Anniversary Millions instant win game gives players the chance to compete for 40 top prizes of either $1 million or $10 million, with an attractive 80% payout to generate further interest among potential buyers. Overall, Ohio residents spent $1.42 billion on instant games during the last fiscal year.
One cashier at a market in Ohio noted that instant tickets were very popular at her shop, with at least 50 of the 40th Anniversary Millions scratch offs being sold there every two weeks. Misty Warnock stated that “higher-dollar scratch-offs, from $5 and up to the $30 ones, are more popular than the $1 tickets.”
Buying lottery tickets or playing lottery games in Ohio not only gives you the chance to win big, but also directly supports good causes in the state. However, if lotteries with some truly staggering jackpots are more appealing, you can buy tickets for the Mega Millions and Powerball interstate lotteries by visiting the Lotto Tickets page.