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Camelot promises to grow lottery sales by 40 percent

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Illinois

* AP…

The new company hired to run the Illinois Lottery projects it will increase annual sales to $4 billion, generating more than $1 billion per year for schools and other projects by the end of the 10-year deal, according to a contract obtained by The Associated Press.

Lottery officials and Camelot Illinois are set to announce the contract Friday, more than three years after the state first tried to fire its current private manager for falling short of sales goals and other problems. Northstar Lottery Group will remain on the job until Camelot takes over on Jan 2.

Lottery proceeds are used to help fund education and construction projects. Sales for the most recent fiscal year were $2.85 billion, marking the second straight year total sales were basically flat, according to a state report published last month.

Camelot Illinois is subsidiary of Camelot Group, which runs the Great Britain national lottery. The company says its plan to increase sales includes investing $15 million on new, more prominent retail sales equipment and signage and improved online sales, with better marketing and technology such as a mobile app.

Color me skeptical.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:04 pm

Comments

Camelot knows video poker is legal in Illinois right?

Comment by Almost the Weekend Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:12 pm
Yeah right and I have an apple orchard on the moon I can sale to you for only $9.99

Comment by Rocky Rosi Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:15 pm
Come here Buddy, I’ll give you three magic beans for that cow!

Comment by Gobblers Knob Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:18 pm
Maybe they are counting on the return of double digit inflation. That would help our pension problem too.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:28 pm
Retired radio host Neal Boortz referred to lotteries as a “tax on stupidity” due to the often astronomical odds against winning. Whether that’s true or not, sales are driven by bigger payouts more than the flashiness of the point of sale machines. If they can attract a significant number of new, regular lottery players, it will be impressive.

Comment by Father Ted Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:28 pm
This is a joke

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:28 pm
The more they make, the more they get to take…

Camelot proposes it be paid 15 percent of the profit it makes beyond the “guaranteed” level to a second level, then 20 percent of the profit from that second level to a third level, and then 25 percent of profit beyond that third level. But Camelot asked the state to not release the dollar amounts of those levels.

https://tinyurl.com/y7wo5ech

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:30 pm
It’s really very simple. Step 1 - term limits . . .

Comment by Whatever Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:32 pm
I thought this was a post about the Kennedy campaign.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:35 pm
Yeah, that’s gonna happen. In Camelot.

Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:36 pm
The Brits do know their gambling.

Comment by Lt Guv Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:37 pm
Who know they just might be able to do it- as an aside Mega tickets will go up to 2 bucks each after October 31 draw. Harder to win so those jackpots will go up quicker- more fools gold to chase.

Comment by Texas Red Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 1:40 pm
Would be interesting if they had something in their contract that provides protection if Chicago gets video poker.

Comment by OneMan Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 2:14 pm
A company named after a fantasy-land making fantastical promises.

Are they going to have a Holy Grail game, or something?

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 2:24 pm
The lottery is just a tax on poor & dumb people.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 2:56 pm
Of all the sin taxes, the gambling one is by far the worst. While things like soda taxes are regressive by nature, the gambling tax rev. is a direct wealth transfer from the poor to the well-off school districts.

Comment by Kid Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 2:59 pm
I recall Northstar making the same sort of claims when they took over. Hopefully, Camelot will do just as well.

Comment by Harvest76 Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 2:59 pm
You can only make ping pong balls in a plastic dome so interesting….

Comment by Stones Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 3:01 pm
If my math is correct ($4 - $2.85), they intend to increase sales by just over $1 Billion. If that is the case, how can this be true:

==generating more than $1 billion per year for schools and other projects==

I assume 70-80% of the lottery money goes to payouts or is it well less than that?

Comment by Name/Nickname/Anon Friday, Oct 20, 17 @ 3:47 pm

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