The Arizona Lottery announced yesterday that the state’s tax on those with largely hopeless dreams of instant wealth hit record numbers for the fiscal year of 2013, continuing a run of six consecutive years of new highs. $692.9 million in tickets were sold in whatever made up version of 2013 the Lottery uses, which based on 2012 Arizona population numbers would mean that $140.55 in tickets were sold per adult in our state*, although since my wife an I bought a total of $6 in tickets last year, someone (likely standing in a line at the customer service desk at a Safeway right now) is clearly making up the $275 the Gibsons aren’t buying.
According to the Lottery’s press release, the two largest jackpots in Powerball history contributed to this astounding numbers, plus they added some contests.
For what it’s worth, while the Lottery didn’t mention the total in prizes given out to winners, $176.5 million went back to the state in funding and $47.1 million in commissions were paid to retailers. So, thanks for playing, lottery aficionados?
* This is at least a little off, since the numbers I’m using were for the number of Arizonans 18 and over and you need to be 21 to buy a lottery ticket. Either way, people buy a lot of tickets.
This article appears in Sep 5-11, 2013.
“Either way, people buy a lot of tickets.”
Well, of course. It’s not like our employers here in The Grand Canyon State are ever gonna help us achieve these goals. We have a better chance putting our extra money here.
Did you guys miss the story last month about the Arizona Lottery not noticing a software error that caused its Pick 3 game to omit the numbers 8 and 9 from certain positions? It went on for almost two months before a lottery player brought it to their attention. No one at the Lottery had a clue that there was a problem. The Lottery Commission has ZERO credibility left after this latest incident, anyone would be a fool to play a dime on any Arizona Lottery game. Of course, no one was fired and the Lottery did the most unfriendly refund possible for players who had actually held onto losing tickets.
To save money (more to spend on prisons, I guess) Arizona uses a computer generated system to pick winning numbers for its games rather than drawing numbered balls. No one at the lottery has ever stated whether or not these drawing systems are tied into any database of combinations sold for each drawing. They are well aware at the Lottery that larger jackpots sell more tickets, so are they deciding how long a jackpot for Fantasy 5 or The Pick grows before it is hit? Sorry, but the Arizona Lottery lacks transparency and is just a bad bet.
All lotteries are “bad bets.” Think of it as a voluntary disposable income tax.