ALBUQUERQUE – New Mexico Lottery players bought a record $741,000 in Scratchers™ in the past two days.
The previous record was $676,000 from Jan. 2 and 3, 2007.
David Barden, New Mexico Lottery CEO, said the sales are the result of a total marketing overhaul that includes a strategy called “Super Tuesday” when players know that three to five new games will arrive in stores on the first Tuesday of the month.
“We’re bringing Scratcher players back with more creative and entertaining games, improved marketing and retailer coordination, and, most importantly, better cash prizes,” Barden said.
Barden added that prizes and players are the backbone of the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program, which is funded by the profit from lottery ticket sales.
“Prizes push up profits,” Barden said. “When people win, they play and contribute more to a successful scholarship program.”
Scratcher sales have been climbing steadily in the past year. In the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2014, sales were $900,000 better than projected. Sales for Fiscal Year 2015 are at $54.8 million, representing a 16 percent increase – or $7.4 million – from this time last year.
Scratcher players are also winning more. Scratcher prizes for FY 2015 year-to-date total $34.1 million, up from $27.3 million at this time last year.
New Scratchers
Five new Scratchers arrived in stores on March’s “Super Tuesday.” They are:
- “Mustang Money, a $5 game that features top prizes of $50,000 and a chance for players with non-winning tickets to enter a drawing to win one 50th anniversary edition 2015 Ford Mustang GT*;
- “Hot 5s,” a $1 game that features top prizes of $2,500;
- “Power 7s,” a $2 game that features top prizes of $14,000;
- “3 Times the Money,” a $3 game that features top prizes of $30,000;
- “Big Money,” a $10 game that features top prizes of $100,000.
Legislative Lottery Scholarships
Since its inception in 1996, the lottery has raised $633 million for education in New Mexico. More than 97,000 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. More information about Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at www.nmlottery.com.
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*Ford Motor Company Trademarks and Trade Dress used under license to MDI Entertainment LLC.