As we mentioned in our previous article, the Arizona State Lottery has hit a record level in sale increases. Even though the lottery is still quite small and it can’t bring in the billions from Massachusetts or New York, it appears that its sales are increasing much faster than any other state lottery, at least according to the La Fleur’s Magazine. State lottery

So what is the secret of the Arizona State Lottery? Well, over the past few years, the lottery has revamped most of its games, introduced new ones and made the whole lot look a lot more visually appealing to the common citizen. However, flashy signs won’t really get you anywhere without some substance, so the lottery also increased its number of retailers and the odds of winning in various games. Jeff Hatch-Miller, the Arizona Lottery’s Executive Director, said the institution improved the average odds of winning something by 9 percent, from 60 to 69. Also, it has introduced more expensive lottery tickets which have better odds of winning. Lottery winning numbers

“When times are tough, people need a good rate of return if they’re going to play the game,” Jeff Hatch-Miller stated. “It’s better that they play the game — even though (the state) gets a slightly smaller percentage — than they don’t play it at all.”

However, not everyone thinks Hatch-Miller is right. Steve Voeller, president of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, a free market policy group and quite a bit of a tax watchdog, is curious why the leaders of Arizona would knowingly encourage gambling in times when the economy is extremely weak. Lottery checker

“That’s like a tobacco executive saying, ‘We have to be more creative on how to get more kids smoking,’ ” Steve Voeller stated. “I am all for people participating in what they want to, but I don’t think the state should be in the business of running gambling to make money and especially trying to get more people hooked on this activity.”

Voeller believes that more people playing the lottery in these times of weak economy is “unfortunate” at best.

“Maybe it’s out of desperation, or they are hoping to get rich quick,” Voeller stated. “But the odds of winning aren’t good, and it’s a very expensive activity.”

Well, that’s about it on the matter for now. Please join us again soon if you want to learn more news about any particular state lottery or lotteries in general.