MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The estimated 700,000 television viewers who tune in nightly at 6:59 p.m. to watch the live Pennsylvania lottery drawing will see a new format starting Aug. 26.
“Over the drawing show’s 31-year history, lottery has occasionally made changes to it,” said lottery Executive Director Ed Trees. “The new drawing show enhancements are being made to accommodate Lottery’s newest game, Quinto, which will make its nightly debut tomorrow.”
Although the lottery is adding a new game to its nightly drawing lineup, the length of the drawing show will remain the same. The drawing show lasts 90 seconds Monday through Friday, 60 seconds on Sunday and 120 seconds on Saturday.
As they have for decades, players will still see the numbered balls mixing in their respective chambers on the new drawing show, but beginning Aug. 26, the drawing official will press one button to automatically select winning numbers for each of three games - The Daily Number, BIG 4 and Quinto. Winning numbers for CASH 5, Mix and Match and MATCH 6 Lotto have been drawn using one button per drawing since each of the games’ inception.
Also, viewers will now see an on-screen insert of the lottery drawing official and senior witness, while the larger view will be of the numbered balls as they are drawn.
“We are not shortcutting or circumventing our security procedures in any way with these changes,” Trees noted. “All Pennsylvania lottery drawings are conducted under strict, secure conditions ensuring that winning numbers are drawn randomly.”
The Pennsylvania Lottery’s nightly drawing show airs across the state on the following television stations: WJET-24 in Erie; WGAL-8 in Lancaster; WJAC- 6 in Johnstown; WPVI- 6 in Philadelphia; KDKA- 2 in Pittsburgh; and WNEP-16 in Scranton.
The last changes to the lottery drawing show were made in 2003 when animated graphics were added and the familiar theme song was modified.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit .
CONTACT:
Cris Stambaugh
(717) 702-8008

Pennsylvania Lottery

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Pennsylvania lottery is adding Quinto, a numbers game similar to The Daily Number and BIG 4, to its lineup of mid-day and evening drawings.
“The Pennsylvania lottery constantly strives to provide its players with new and innovative games,” said lottery Executive Director Ed Trees. “Quinto, which offers multiple ways to play and a top prize of $50,000 cash, will appeal to players who enjoy playing The Daily Number and BIG 4 games.”
Quinto tickets go on sale Aug. 26, the same day its first mid-day and evening drawings will take place. Quinto drawings will be held twice daily, seven days a week.
Players may purchase Quinto tickets for mid-day and evening drawings up to seven days in advance. Quinto costs $1 per play and players can choose, or allow the lottery terminal to quick-pick, a five-digit number.
To win Quinto prizes, players must match all five digits in the exact order they are drawn (straight), match all five digits in any order (box), or match exactly the first two digits (front pair), first three digits (front three), first four digits (front four), last two digits (back pair), last three digits (back three) or last four digits (back four).
Quinto prizes range from $50 to $50,000 cash. A straight wager for any five digits in exact order pays $50,000 and a boxed wager pays $425. Visit the Pennsylvania Lottery’s Web site, , to view a chart of all possible Quinto matches, odds and payouts.
Tickets for prizes up to and including $2,500 can be validated and paid at any terminal-based retail location, and winning tickets may be redeemed up to one year from the drawing date for which they were purchased.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit .
Pennsylvania Lottery

NEW YORK and LONDON, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Electronic Game Card, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: EGMI) (”EGC”), announced today that it had received patent awards for Europe and Japan for the Electronic GameCard(TM) product and technology. Since 2002, Electronic Game Card, Inc. has filed for an additional 9 patents by territory in regards to the aggregation of multiple technologies to create the unique proprietary product, the Electronic GameCard(TM).
Electronic Game Card, Inc.’s products are based on proprietary technology encompassing a GameCard that allows a player to enjoy a game comprising of multiple windows and characters through displays utilizing a battery cell, pull tag, encrypted inkjet, holographic markings and information window in a card form approximately 2 millimeter in thickness. The company has identified numerous applications for this now patented technology and manufacturing process with initial focus on the sales promotion market, casinos and gaming as well as the state and national lottery sectors. In addition the company is using its unique knowledge in this market place to build value by developing additional products and in turn creating additional proprietary IP that the company will protect with patents in all accessible markets.
An example of this strategy is evidenced by the fact that Electronic Game Card, Inc. recently announced that it will be entering two additional markets in 2008. These markets are the educational toys and games market and the sports collectables market, where the company will be launching its unique product with additional proprietary IP that it is developing through its established research and development programme.
The company continues to build out its proprietary market position for its products and technology, given the Company’s recent security approval by Gaming Laboratory International (GLI), its NIGC Indian gaming Class II Gaming approval and the announcement of today’s patent award, and continuing new product and markets development.
Yvonne L. Zappulla
Managing Director
Grannus Financial Advisors, Inc.
212-681-4108

or

Roger Holdom
Electronic Game Card, Inc.
44 207 451 2480

About Electronic Game Card, Inc.

Electronic Game Card, Inc., (OTCBB: EGMI), develops, produces and markets innovative games to the promotional industry worldwide, casino and lottery. The Company’s lead product is the Electronic GameCard(TM), a unique credit card-sized pocket game combining patent-pending proprietary technology of interactive capability with “instant win” excitement. The “Electronic GameCard” can be programmed to suit a variety of gaming and promotion applications.
EGMI’s client base is across the $100 billion global market of, sales promotion, gaming and casinos, Indian gaming and state and national lotteries markets. EGMI develops sales and marketing relationships with agents globally and has a technology licensing agreement with a major lottery focused US listed corporation. For further information please visit
February 2008, Electronic GameCard(TM) received Gaming Laboratory International approval for security and product robustness. In July 2005, the Public Gaming Research Institute (PGRI) named the Electronic GameCard(TM) as a 2005 lottery Product of the Year.
Certain statements in this news release may constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. The Company believes that its expectations, as expressed in these statements are based on reasonable assumptions regarding the risks and uncertainties inherent in achieving those expectations. These statements are not, however, guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially. Risk factors are listed in the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-KSB and Quarterly Report on Form 10-QSB filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Electronic Game Card, Inc.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 23 /PRNewswire/ — Prosperity Partners (PPI) today announced an exclusive opportunity for individuals who have already won a state lottery prize to “Win Another Million.” PPI has been providing lump sum options to lottery winners for 15 years. Now the founders of Prosperity Partners want to provide a cash award of their own.
“Our customers often mention to us their desire to win again, and we are excited to give three customers that chance,” says Tom Balletta, COO and co-founder of Prosperity Partners. “We are celebrating 15 years and that is a milestone we are really proud to share with our community.”
Randall Simoes and Thomas Balletta opened the doors of Prosperity Partners in April of 1993. They believed lottery winners deserved access to their winnings and should be free of the constraints of annual payments.
“Since day one we have been making things possible for winners that otherwise might never have been accomplished. Usually we charge for our services, but this time we are giving the money away. We would be thrilled to award every penny of the $1.2 million in possible winnings,” says owner and co-founder Randall Simoes.
The Contest, “Win Another Million,” kicked off April 15th, 2008. Qualified contestants can register once every 30 days by phone, on-line via the Internet, or postal mail. Three semi-finalists will be chosen each month to be entered into the final drawing on August 19th. Of the 12 semi-finalists, 3 finalists will be flown to Florida to play for a chance at the million-dollar grand prize on September 20, 2008. Finalists could also win consolation prizes worth up to $100,000.
Rules are posted and registration is available on the web at
More information on PPI can be found at

Contact:
Prosperity Partners, Inc.
Jason Rigler
1015 Tenth Street
Lake Park, Florida 33403
1 (800) 254-0187

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit .
Prosperity Partners, Inc.

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Aug. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Barrie Edwards of Willow Street did not buy the Aug. 2 Powerball ticket that earned him over $42 million - he received the promotional ticket for free when he purchased two Pennsylvania lottery Match 6 tickets. Now, Edwards and his wife are sharing their good fortune with a dozen relatives.
Secretary of Revenue Tom Wolf and lottery Executive Director Ed Trees today presented a ceremonial check for $42,529,765.37, less 25 percent federal withholding, to 14 members of the Edwards and Funk families of Lancaster County, holders of the single jackpot-winning ticket from the Aug. 2 Powerball drawing.
The families’ jackpot-winning ticket matched all five white balls, 02-05-28-33-54, and the red Powerball, 30, to win the jackpot, which grew over nine drawings to an annuity value of $86.3 million. The $42.5 million cash prize won by the Edwards and Funks is the 10th largest prize awarded in Pennsylvania lottery history.
“The Edwards and Funk families weren’t the only winners in the Aug. 2 Powerball drawing,” said Wolf. “Pennsylvania’s older residents benefit from programs funded by lottery proceeds, and the Aug. 2 jackpot generated more than $6.2 million for those programs.”
Barrie Edwards watched the televised Powerball drawing to learn he held the jackpot-winning ticket. He immediately ran to share the news with his wife, Jean, who had gone to bed.
Shortly after the drawing, the Edwards called Terry and Linda Edwards, Barrie’s brother and sister-in-law, to inform them of the jackpot win.
Barrie and Terry Edwards and family members have purchased lottery tickets for years, and long ago they made a verbal agreement that if one of them won a large jackpot, the prize would be split among family members, all of whom are natives or long-time residents of Lancaster County.
The family members to share in the jackpot prize are as follows: Barrie and Jean Edwards of Willow Street, Lancaster County will receive $17,064,882.50; Terry and Linda Edwards of Willow Street, Lancaster County will receive $17,064,882.50; Robert and Elaine Funk of Mountville, Lancaster County will receive $1.4 million; Jeffrey and Donna Funk of Mountville, Lancaster County will receive $1.4 million; Melanie Funk of Lancaster will receive $1.4 million; Gerald and Lynn Hess of Davidson, North Carolina will receive $1.4 million; K. Scott Edwards of Lusby, Maryland will receive 1.4 million; and Ronald and Yvonne Edwards of Washington Boro, Lancaster County will receive $1.4 million.
The jackpot-winning Powerball ticket was a $1 quick-pick generated free in conjunction with a lottery promotion. Barrie Edwards purchased two Match 6 tickets to receive his free Powerball ticket at the Turkey Hill store on Willow Street Pike in Willow Street, Lancaster County. Turkey Hill received a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning jackpot ticket.
On behalf of the group, Jean Edwards presented the winning ticket for validation yesterday at lottery headquarters in Middletown after consulting with legal and financial counsel. After examining the ticket and executing propriety security measures, lottery officials confirmed that it was the jackpot-winning ticket from the Aug. 2 Powerball drawing.
The Edwards and Funk families are the 10th Pennsylvania lottery Powerball winners since Pennsylvania joined the multi-jurisdictional game in June 2002. Powerball tickets are sold in 31 participating jurisdictions - 29 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.
How to play Powerball: To play Powerball, players pay $1 and select five white balls from the first set of 55 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 42 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using Powerball play slips, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win cash prizes.
Powerball features an option called PowerPlay. For an extra $1 per Powerball play (game), players can multiply their Powerball prizes by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times the original prize amount for all prizes except the jackpot. Prizes can multiply up to $1 million.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit .

CONTACT:
Stephanie Weyant
(717) 787-6960

Pennsylvania Lottery

WILLOW STREET, Pa., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Pennsylvania lottery officials today announced the sole jackpot-winning ticket worth $86.3 million from the Aug. 2, 2008, Powerball(R) drawing was sold at Turkey Hill, 2921 Willow Street Pike, Willow Street, Lancaster County.
“We are pleased to announce that Turkey Hill in Willow Street sold the winning ticket from Saturday night’s drawing,” said Ed Trees, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Lottery. “This marks the tenth jackpot-winning Powerball jackpot ticket the Pennsylvania lottery has sold since we joined the game in June 2002.”
The winning ticket sold in Pennsylvania matched all five white balls, 02-05-28-33-54, and the red Powerball number, 30, in the drawing. The winning jackpot ticket has an annuity value of $86.3 million and a cash value of $42,529,765.37, less 25 percent federal withholding.
Powerball winners have one year from the drawing date to claim prizes. Each jackpot winner has 60 days from the date he or she claims the prize to decide between 30 annuity payments over a period of 29 years, or a one-time cash payment.
Lottery officials cannot confirm the identity of the Aug. 2 Powerball jackpot winner until the prize is claimed and the ticket validated. At this time, no claim has been filed.
The lottery encourages the holder of the winning Powerball ticket to sign the back of the ticket, contact a financial advisor, then contact the PA lottery at (717) 702-8146. Powerball jackpot prizes must be claimed at lottery headquarters, 1200 Fulling Mill Road, Middletown, Dauphin County. Claims may be filed Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Turkey Hill will receive a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning jackpot ticket.
The Powerball jackpot returns to an estimated $15 million annuity and an estimated $7.4 million cash prize for the Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008, drawing.
Powerball tickets are sold in 31 participating jurisdictions - 29 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.
How to play Powerball: To play Powerball, players pay $1 and select five white balls from the first set of 55 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 42 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using Powerball play slips, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win cash prizes.
Powerball features an option called PowerPlay. For an extra $1 per Powerball play (game), players can multiply their Powerball prizes by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times the original prize amount for all prizes except the jackpot. Prizes can multiply up to $1 million.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania lottery remains the only U.S. lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit .

CONTACT: Cris Stambaugh
(717) 702-8008

Pennsylvania Lottery

ALIQUIPPA, Pa., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A Washington County man who won $1 million in the Pennsylvania Lottery’s July 5 Millionaire Raffle picked up his winnings today.
Lottery officials Terri Hopkins and Nick Rivelle presented a ceremonial check to Paul Gamber of Washington at Sheffield Delicatessen, Brodhead Road and Mill Street in Aliquippa, Beaver County, where he bought his winning ticket.
Gamber plans to make a few purchases with the money and invest the rest. A retired technology worker, Gamber also won $100 on a second raffle ticket he had purchased.
“I told everyone that I would win big someday,” said Gamber of his lottery play. “A million dollars is probably the best ‘I told you so’ that I can think of!”
All four of the $1 million winning Raffle tickets have been claimed and validated. Each selling retailer receives a $5,000 bonus.
In addition to Gamber, winners of $1 million are Sharon Burke of Camp Hill, Cumberland County, who purchased her winning ticket at Tenth Street Station in Lemoyne, Cumberland County; Helen Toto of Wilmington, Delaware, who purchased her winning ticket at Marrone’s Delicatessen in West Grove, Chester County; and Marlin Greeninger of Lebanon, who purchased his winning ticket at Zweier’s Foodkart in Lebanon, Lebanon County.
Each of the Raffle’s $20 tickets offered a 1-in-125,000 chance of winning $1 million, the best odds ever offered by the Pennsylvania lottery for winning a $1 million prize.
The winning raffle ticket numbers were randomly selected at 7 p.m. on July 5 during the Lottery’s live drawing show. The four $1 million top-prize raffle ticket numbers selected were: 00351737, 00338908, 00234572, and 00110230. The four $100,000 second-prize raffle ticket numbers were: 00479671, 00260077, 00234155, and 00057161. A complete list of all 6,000 winning raffle ticket numbers is available at lottery retail locations and at .
The four $1 million top-prize raffle ticket numbers, four $100,000 second-prize ticket numbers, 100 prizes of $1,000 each, and 5,892 prizes of $100 each - a total of 6,000 prizes - came from a pool of 500,000 tickets that were sold between May 1 and July 4.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older. For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit .
EDITOR’S NOTE: In the past fiscal year, lottery players in Washington County won more than $28 million in prizes. The Pennsylvania lottery contributed more than $15.2 million to programs that benefited seniors in the county, and lottery retailers in Washington County earned more than $2.7 million in commissions and bonuses.
In the past fiscal year, lottery players in Beaver County won more than $25 million in prizes. The Pennsylvania lottery contributed more than $12 million to programs that benefited seniors in the county, and lottery retailers in Beaver County earned more than $2.2 million in commissions and bonuses.
CONTACT:
Veronica Sinclair-Anderson
(717) 702-8008

Pennsylvania Lottery

LEMOYNE, Pa., July 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A Cumberland County woman who won $1 million cash, one of four top prizes in the Pennsylvania Lottery’s July 5 Millionaire Raffle, received her winnings today.
Lottery Executive Director Ed Trees presented a ceremonial check to Sharon Burke of Camp Hill, at Tenth Street Station, a gas station at 10th and Lowther streets in Lemoyne where she purchased the winning ticket.
Sharon and her husband, John, own American Library Contracting Inc., a family business based in Camp Hill. Burke already has a few plans for her winnings, including a new car and a vacation for herself and her husband.
All four of the $1 million winning Raffle tickets have been claimed and validated.
In addition to Burke, winners of $1 million are Paul Gamber of Washington, Washington County, who purchased his winning ticket at Sheffield Delicatessen in Aliquippa, Beaver County; Helen Toto of Wilmington, Delaware, who purchased her winning ticket at Marrone’s Delicatessen in West Grove, Chester County; and Marlin Greeninger of Lebanon, who purchased his winning ticket at Zweier’s Foodkart in Lebanon.
Each of the Raffle’s $20 tickets offered a 1-in-125,000 chance of winning $1 million, the best odds ever offered by the Pennsylvania lottery for winning a $1 million prize.
The winning raffle ticket numbers were randomly selected at 7 p.m. on July 5 during the Lottery’s live drawing show. The four $1 million top-prize raffle ticket numbers selected were: 00351737, 00338908, 00234572, and 00110230. The four $100,000 second-prize raffle ticket numbers were: 00479671, 00260077, 00234155, and 00057161. A complete list of all 6,000 winning raffle ticket numbers is available at lottery retail locations and at .
The four $1 million top-prize raffle ticket numbers; four $100,000 second-prize ticket numbers; 100 prizes of $1,000 each; and 5,892 prizes of $100 each — a total of 6,000 prizes — came from a pool of 500,000 tickets that were sold between May 1 and July 4.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit .
EDITOR’S NOTE: In the past fiscal year, lottery players in Cumberland County won more than $31 million in prizes. The Pennsylvania lottery contributed more than $10 million to programs that benefited seniors in the county, and lottery retailers in Cumberland County earned more than $2.9 million in commissions and bonuses.
CONTACT: Veronica Sinclair-Anderson
(717) 702-8008
Pennsylvania Lottery

PITTSBURGH, July 24 /PRNewswire/ — Although state lotteries, on average, return just 53 cents for every dollar spent on a ticket, people continue to pour money into them — especially low-income people, who spend a larger percentage of their incomes on lottery tickets than do the wealthier segments of society. A new Carnegie Mellon University study sheds light on the reasons why low-income lottery players eagerly invest in a product that provides poor returns.
(Logo: )
In the study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, participants who were made to feel subjectively poor bought nearly twice as many lottery tickets as a comparison group that was made to feel subjectively more affluent. The Carnegie Mellon findings point to poverty’s central role in people’s decisions to buy lottery tickets.
“Some poor people see playing the lottery as their best opportunity for improving their financial situations, albeit wrongly so,” said the study’s lead author Emily Haisley, a doctoral student in the Department of Organizational Behavior and Theory at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. “The hope of getting out of poverty encourages people to continue to buy tickets, even though their chances of stumbling upon a life-changing windfall are nearly impossibly slim and buying lottery tickets in fact exacerbates the very poverty that purchasers are hoping to escape.”
The researchers influenced participants’ perceptions of their relative wealth — or lack thereof — by having them complete a survey on their opinions of the city of Pittsburgh that included an item on annual income. The group made to feel poor was asked to provide its income on a scale that began at “less than $100,000″ and went upward from there in $100,000 increments, ensuring that most respondents would be in the lowest income category. The group made to feel subjectively wealthier was asked to report income on a scale that began with “less than $10,000″ and increased in $10,000 increments, leading most respondents to be in a middle or upper tier.
Participants, who were recruited at Pittsburgh’s Greyhound Bus terminal, were paid $5 for completing the survey and given the opportunity to buy as many as five scratch-off lottery tickets. The experimental group purchased an average of 1.27 lottery tickets, compared with 0.67 tickets bought by the members of the control group.
A second experiment reported in the paper found that indirectly reminding participants that, while different income groups face unequal outcomes in education, jobs and housing, everyone has equal chances of winning the lottery induced an increase in the number of lottery tickets purchased. The group given this reminder purchased 1.31 tickets, compared with 0.54 for the group not given such a reminder.
In the study, the researchers note that lotteries set off a vicious cycle that not only exploits low-income individuals’ desires to escape poverty but also directly prevents them from improving upon their financial situations. They recommend that state lottery administrators explore strategies that balance the economic burdens faced by low-income households with the need to maintain important funding streams for state governments.
“State lotteries are popular revenue sources that are unlikely to go away anytime soon,” said George Loewenstein, a study co-author and Herbert A. Simon professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon. “However, it is possible to implement measures that can actually benefit low-income lottery players and lead to fairer outcomes.” Loewenstein noted that one such potential method for addressing income inequality, which has shown promise in other countries, is tying lottery tickets to savings accounts.
Romel Mostafa, a graduate student in Carnegie Mellon’s Department of Social and Decision Sciences, also was a study co-author. The research was funded in part by a grant from the Russell Sage Foundation.
About Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon is a private research university with a distinctive mix of programs in engineering, computer science, robotics, business, public policy, fine arts and the humanities. More than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students receive an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation. A small student-to-faculty ratio provides an opportunity for close interaction between students and professors. While technology is pervasive on its 144-acre Pittsburgh campus, Carnegie Mellon is also distinctive among leading research universities for the world-renowned programs in its College of Fine Arts. A global university, Carnegie Mellon has campuses in Silicon Valley, Calif., and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia and Europe. For more, see .

Carnegie Mellon

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Pennsylvania lottery set a new all-time sales record for fiscal year 2007-08, Secretary of Revenue Tom Wolf announced today.
“In these tough economic times, the Pennsylvania lottery had an extraordinary year,” said Wolf. “Lottery sales continued to grow and provide funding for programs and services that are vital to the health and well-being of older Pennsylvanians.
“Earlier this year, we were anticipating a decline in lottery ticket sales. However, sales rebounded in the second half of the year and the lottery finished strong - setting another all-time ticket sales record.”
Fiscal year 2007-08 lottery sales totaled $3.089 billion, which was $12.8 million more than the previous year. lottery sales have grown by more than $1.16 billion since fiscal year 2001-02, when lottery sales were $1.95 billion.
Instant games sales for fiscal year 2007-08 totaled more than $1.7 billion, which exceeded the previous year’s instant games sales record by $3.3 million. Instant game sales comprise about 55 percent of all PA lottery ticket sales.
Sales for terminal-based games, including The Daily Number, BIG 4, Treasure Hunt, CASH 5, Match 6 Lotto, Mix & Match, Millionaire Raffle and Powerball, totaled $1.38 billion for the fiscal year, which was $9.5 million more than the previous year.
Net revenues to the lottery Fund for fiscal year 2007-08 totaled $928 million. The lottery has generated $5.3 billion for the lottery Fund since fiscal year 2001-02.
Lottery retailers, many of them family-owned small businesses, earned $170 million in commissions in fiscal year 2007-08.
When Governor Edward G. Rendell took office in 2003, the PA lottery retailer network included 7,023 locations. Today, the Pennsylvania lottery has 8,526 retailers, a milestone that was last reached in 1992.
According to the most recent industry reports, the PA lottery ranks seventh among the 44 U.S. lotteries in annual sales and fifth in annual profits.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 36 years ago, the Pennsylvania lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term health care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit .
EDITOR’S NOTE: The PA Lottery’s 2007-08 annual report is available at , under “About the PA Lottery,” then “Annual and Economic Reports.”
CONTACT:
Stephanie Weyant
(717) 787-6960

Pennsylvania Department of Revenue