Thursday, July 15, 1999
Ohio to add Pick 3, Pick 4 in afternoon
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — The Ohio Lottery Commission gave its blessing Wednesday to a plan expanding the daily Pick 3 Numbers and Pick 4 Numbers games to twice each day in an attempt to increase sales.
A new daily — except Sunday — drawing at 12:29 p.m. would begin during August, supplementing the usual 7:29 p.m. drawing, said Sandra K. Barber, who is chairwoman of the nine-member commission.
The resolution in support of the new drawings passed unanimously, but it's up to Ohio Lottery Executive Director Mitchell Brown to complete the planning and set a date for their start.
Mr. Brown was attending a lottery technical conference in another state and was not available for comment Wednesday, Ms. Barber said.
“As you know we've been on a little bit of a slump in the Ohio Lottery, and we're trying to come up with various techniques to enhance our sales,” Ms. Barber said. “I think we're a very mature lottery, and after a while interest wanes somewhat. Any time there's a new game there's interest. It's entertainment.”
Gale Fisk, the Ohio Lottery's finance director, said the twice-daily strategy is aimed at boosting lottery sales that declined by about 2.4 percent, or $51 million, to $2.14 billion in the fiscal year completed June 30.
Mr. Fisk pointed out that the sales total, while down, ranks as the fourth best in the Ohio Lottery's history. The transfer to Ohio public education was $696.3 million.
In the fiscal year, Pick 3 sales amounted to $399.4 million, a 5 percent decline, and Pick 4 sales were $125.1 million, up less than 1 percent.
Mr. Fisk said the lottery hopes the additional drawings will raise sales in the two games combined by about 10 percent.
“That's based on observations of what other states have experienced,” he said. “It's not so much an idea of getting people to play those games more often. It's going after a new demographic, making those drawings more convenient for some people.”
Mr. Fisk said other lottery locations with twice-a-day drawings are Washington, D.C., and Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia.
He said the multistate Powerball lottery as well as the opening of casinos in neighboring or nearby states might be factors in slumping sales in Ohio Lottery games. The big-jackpot Super Lotto game's sales total, $364.4 million, was down 5.3 percent in the fiscal year.
Mr. Fisk said the there are no plans presently to extend the “Red Ball” promotion in the Pick 3 game past July 31. That promotion offers bigger prize payouts if a red ball pops up after a Pick 3 drawing.
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