Improved games give big lift to lottery profits

Monday, Jan. 10, 2005 | 9:03 a.m.

CLEVELAND -- Improved games with tie-ins to companies such as Harley-Davidson and Chevrolet have helped boost Ohio Lottery profits after a few down years.

The lottery sold $1.07 billion in tickets for the last six months of 2004, an almost $29 million increase over the same period in 2003. The lottery sent an additional $12 million to the Department of Education, a 4 percent increase.

Lottery spokeswoman Mardele Cohen said the big jackpot Mega Millions game and a greater variety of the lottery's popular instant scratch-off tickets have fueled the upswing.

Tie-ins with NASCAR and the NBA have been popular as well as games in which players can win Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Corvettes.

Instant tickets account for roughly half of the lottery's sales.

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