n the seventeen states included in the research, eLottery said that combined ticket sales could increase by as much as us$ 3.96 billion annually if participants could purchase tickets via the internet. In Pennsylvania, the research found that state lottery sales could be increased as much as 10%, or us$ 308 million, based on 2007 sales of us$ 3.08 billion.
"These additional funds could be directly injected into the state’s budget for education and public safety, providing a cushion at a time when economic uncertainties abound throughout the nation," said eLottery President, Michael Yacenda.
"The availability of lottery tickets online could attract up to 80 percent of the 18-to-24 and 25-to-34 demographic, an audience not currently purchasing tickets through traditional channels -grocery stores, gas stations and cigarette stores," Yacenda said.
The research also indicates that these traditional outlets would lose little if any business, as most of the new sales would come from an audience that wasn’t in the market before. "These new participants indicate the key reason they’d play was the convenience of making the purchase at home or in the office, and not having to stand in a waiting line," Yacenda said.
