Banking on a jackpot: Lottery sales on the rise

You have to ask yourself one question - do you feel lucky?

Data shows people in South Carolina are not going all in when it comes to playing the Education Lottery. This is one state where lottery sales are not rising nearly as much as in other states, bucking an upward trend seen in more than half of all states that have lotteries.

According to maker of scratch-off cards Scientific Games, 25 of the 42 states with lotteries have experienced higher sales of both scratch-offs and daily lottery games since July 2007.

The Associated Press reported the Massachusetts lottery reached a record of $4.7 billion in sales during the last fiscal year, up from $4.4 billion in the previous year at an increase of 6.3 percent. This compared to the South Carolina Education Lottery where total sales increased only 3.36 percent between 2007 and 2008, or from $815 million to $842 million.

"Overall, our sales are right about where they were, regardless of the economics," said Stephanie Hemminghaus, product relations coordinator with the South Carolina Education Lottery.

Aiken gas station attendants tell a different story, though. Several said Thursday they had seen a noticeable increase in the number of people buying lottery tickets.

"It's a way to make ends meet," said a gentleman in The Sprint station on East Pine Log Road Thursday. He asked not to be identified.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, instant and daily lottery revenues have been on the rise nationwide since 2004.

Whether customers are regulars, occasional players or first-time players, their willingness to spend a few dollars on a scratch-off ticket may be attributed to one thing: hope.

"It's some degree of hope," said Dr. Ralph Byington, dean of the School of Business Administration at USC Aiken. "They justify the small stakes gambles with the hope of high returns."

"People are praying for a miracle," one station attendant, who also asked not to be identified, said.

It could very well take a miracle to hit it big in the lottery. The South Carolina Education Lottery reports the odds of winning a top prize in the Powerball drawing where the jackpot starts at $20 million is one in 195,249,054.

Last year, the largest payout to someone who bought a winning lottery ticket in Aiken went to Felix Muniz Jr. of Aiken who won $250,000. There have been no winners from Aiken so far this year.

Breakout info

2008 Aiken area lottery winners

Felix Muniz Jr. $250,000

Johnna Sutton $2,600 ticket bought in Aiken

Jimmie Morgan $520

Donisha Robinson, Graniteville $2,700

Crystal Moore, Lincolnton, Ga. $830 ticket bought in Aiken

Sandra Preble, Williston $600 ticket bought in Aiken

James Green, Vaucluse $900 ticket bought in Aiken

Cora Wynn, Windsor $1,000 ticket bought in New Ellenton

Carl Johnson $10,000

Tyrone Holmes, Jackson $25,000 ticket bought in North Augusta

Phyllis York, Trenton $1,000 ticket bought in Aiken