Virus fears slow lottery sales, bode ill for education funding

Monthly sales were down 8% in March. And the lottery predicts things will get worse. They are forecasting an 14% drop in April, 18% in May and 15% in June. That adds up to a potential hit to education.

"What’s tough for us is it looks like this will be the first year since the lottery started in 2006 that we did not increase sales," says Van Denton, director of corporate communications for the North Carolina Education Lottery.

That means a loss of $43 million from money budgeted for North Carolina classrooms. From March through June, the lottery expected to raise $251 million for education. The projection now is $208 million. If projections hold, the losses over those four months would put the education money $27 million short for the fiscal year. The lottery could use special reserves to fill the game, but the legislature would need to approve that move.

Denton also understands people need to make smart choices in this climate, saying, "If they are cutting back on their entertainment dollars, they should not be spending money on the lottery to try and solve a financial problem."

Still, some people who are out of work are still trying to beat the odds, like Raleigh barber Michael Winston.

"I’m a barber, so I can’t make any money right now. I had to shut down for a while so I’m just trying to hit a Pick 3 or Pick 4 to stay afloat," he said.

Store owner Steve Byers says business overall has been down lately, but at his store, the lottery is still going strong. "It’s been kind of some fun that folks could do to break up the monotony, the cabin fever," he said.

The North Carolina Education Lottery has changed how it does business in an effort to maintain social distance. Advertising stopped in the first week of April so that players would not be enticed to go out and buy tickets. Regional claim centers are also closed. Players are asked to submit winning tickets online or simply wait until the claim centers are opened. However, online sales of the numbers games, like Pick 3, Pick 5, Megaball and Powerball are still an option for people who want to play without going out.