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Ohioans Quick to Bet on Mega Millions16 May 2002OHIO – As reported by the Dayton Daily News: "Ohio's attempt to plug a big hole in the state budget by joining out-of-state gambling, seemed to be looking successful Wednesday, the first day of wagering in the Mega Millions venue. "The Ohio Lottery Commission at Cleveland announced wagers of $167,000 between 6 and 11 a.m., rising to $445,535 by 3 p.m. "…The state has said it hopes to raise $41 million a year from multistate lottery sales, to help patch a $1.5 billion budget deficit. In Ohio, lottery profits go to the Department of Education and amount to about 6 percent of its budget. "At the Main Stoppe at 30 N. Main St., across from Courthouse Square, owner Darlene Smith said `hundreds' of Mega Millions bets had been made by 1 p.m. For people coming in to ask about the new gambling opportunity, Smith handed out Ohio Lottery customer newsletters and sample MM tickets in a nifty plastic sleeves. She said the lottery commission paid for them. "…Bettors pick five numbers from a pool of one to 52, plus one additional number from 1 to 52. A player with all six numbers drawn gets the top prize, which starts at $5 million. Jackpots of the game that used to be known as the Big Game have been as high as $363 million in May 2000…" |