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Michigan County Lottery Sales Lag

MICHIGAN – As reported by the Holland Sentinel: "…[Scott] Klingenberg said he occasionally buys lottery tickets, but last week, he decided to play Club Keno for the first time at Village Inn Pizza on South Washington Avenue.

"…State lottery officials probably wish there were more people like Klingenberg in the Holland area. While lottery sales in Ottawa County have risen 14 percent in the past five years, its lottery participation is among the lowest in Michigan on a per-capita basis. While Ottawa is the state's ninth largest county in terms of population, its $12.3 million in lottery sales in the last fiscal year ranked only 18th among Michigan's 83 counties.

"Ottawa's per-capita sales work out to about $51 a person for the county's 238,000 residents, compared to $99 a person for neighboring Allegan County. Its sales were only half that of Kalamazoo County, which had a nearly identical population in the 2000 census.

"…Some observers attribute the low rate of lottery playing to the county's religious roots.

"…'It's difficult to make those assumptions,' Michigan Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters said.

"…Despite its low sales rate, Ottawa County has had several large jackpot winners. The biggest occurred in 2001, when two men won $11,186,220 on Michigan Millions ticket they bought at Admiral gas station in Zeeland. Other big payoffs include a $19 million jackpot in Holland in 1995 and a $13 million winner in Spring Lake in 1991…"

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