Private firm takes over Illinois lottery
Wednesday January 19th 2011The state of Illinois has handed over management of its lottery to a private company, according to a report by Crain’s Chicago Business. Illinois Lottery officials’ decision to take a step back has been prompted by the need to increase revenues. The successful consortium is made up of three firms which won a contract to run the lottery in September 2010. They have promised to increase lottery revenues by $1billion (10.6 per cent) over the next five years.
A slice of the increased revenues will be spent on the education system in Illinois, and organisers are also promising to increase excitement for players by bringing in “new and innovative” games.
Illinois Lottery’s growth plan revolves around attracting new players in new markets, and doubling the number of outlets in the state where people can buy lottery tickets.
The new management said in a statement: “We are very excited about this opportunity and firmly believe that the Illinois lottery, operating under this innovative new model, has the potential to become one of the top-performing lotteries in the United States in terms of sales and returns.”