Compared to some states, the Mississippi lottery is pretty basic. Outgoing MS Lottery Corporation President Tom Shaheen told SuperTalk MS in time, it will have to adapt with the market. “There’s state’s out there selling on tickets on the internet, on mobile, state’s that have video poker. All sorts of things,” he said. He says eventually younger Mississippians will want to be able to buy their tickets with their phone.
Our state lottery is still in it’s infancy. But Shaheen, who will retire June 30th, says it’s done better than even he expected. Proceeds from the lottery exceeded $80-million last month. That money is already being used for improvements to roads and bridges across our state.
Anything above that $80-million goes to the state’s Education Enhancement Fund. The March transfer of more than $16.7-million brings the total transfer for the current fiscal year to over $100-million, allowing funding for education for the first time.
Scratch-off games account for 84% of total sales in Mississippi, outselling Power Ball, Mega-Millions and Cash 3.
