WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Lottery retailers blame the down economy and statewide smoking ban for flat lottery sales at a time when other states are reporting big increases.
The Lottery’s new executive director says the emergence of state-owned casinos could further erode lottery sales. Dennis Wilson told The Wichita Eagle that sales fell about $500,000 in Ford County after the Boot Hill Casino Resort in Dodge City opened last year.
An analysis by USA Today found that 28 of 41 state lotteries saw higher sales in the fiscal year that ended June 30. Seventeen of those set records, including Missouri, which hit $1 billion in sales for the first time.
Wilson says the Lottery has about 1,800 outlets now and he wants to add 100 in the next year.
