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Gambling up? You can bet on it
Sour economy fails to kill dreams of instant wealth as gaming revenues rise

By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer
First published in print: Saturday, January 16, 2010

ALBANY -- The troubled economy is resulting in a boom in one area: purchase of MegaMillions lottery tickets are up more than 28 percent.
While the state is watching revenues drop dramatically, gambling is an exception. Both lottery sales and revenue from video lotteries at the nine state-sanctioned casinos are up compared to a year ago.
Overall, state gambling revenues are up 2.3 percent over last year for a total of $5.8 billion.

Lottery revenues are up 1.8 percent from traditional sales, including everything from Mega Millions to scratch-off tickets. The casino business is up 5.9 percent statewide, though it declined by less than 1 percent at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.

At month's end, the state will begin selling multi-state Powerball tickets with the first drawing on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Once that happens, the state will offer large jackpot drawings four days a week.

Lottery is a moneymaker for New York, said Lottery Division spokeswoman Jennifer Givner: "We are very pleased to be in the black because other state lotteries are not."

The key to increasing revenue is offering an ever-changing variety of games, she said: "It's never being satisfied and always trying to find new games."

At Coulson's News Center at Newton Plaza in Colonie, manager Lynn Lynch said she sees the increase in lottery sales every day..............>>>>...........>>>>...........Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=889623#ixzz0cmUQa7tL

I think that must be the rush at the beginning of the month at stewart's shops and the like .......??????????????????????????????