Lottery outlets see brisk sales

Perry Morrisett of Rector purchases a lottery ticket Tuesday afternoon from Tonya Branson, assistant manager at Flash Market in Rector. (Democrat photo/Nancy Kemp) [Click to enlarge]

The sales of Arkansas Scholarship Lottery scratch-off tickets began at midnight Monday, Sept. 28, and, according to assistant manager Tosha Branson at Flash Market in Rector, sales have been brisk.

"We've probably sold close to 2,000 tickets, and we've had a bunch of winners," Branson said Tuesday afternoon. "If the prize is under $500 we give the cash here, and over these first two days, we've given away $742 in winnings."

Branson said that represents about 500 winners, with most prizes ranging from $1 to $10. The biggest winner at Flash Market has been $40.

Other lottery outlets in this area include Now & Then in Rector, EZ-Mart and Quik-Stop convenience stores in Marmaduke, and Jordan's Kwik Stop #24 in Piggott.

Currently there are four scratch-off tickets available -- one sells for $1, two are for $2 each and one is a $5 ticket.

The local stores also will be offering the Arkansas Powerball Powerplay game, which is set to begin Oct. 31. The Powerball terminals already have been installed, but won't be utilized until the state begins that portion of the new lottery program in about a month.

The ceremonial first Arkansas Scholarship Lottery ticket was purchased by Dr. Jim Purcell, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, at 12:00:01 a.m. Monday, a full 95 days earlier than the Jan. 1, 2010, launch anticipated when the Lottery legislation passed earlier this year. The early launch is expected to generate tens of millions extra in 2010 to fund college scholarships for Arkansas students.

The sale took place at Murphy USA, 23800 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock. Also present to mark the launch were Lt. Governor Bill Halter, members of the legislature, lottery executive director Ernie Passailaigue, Arkansas Lottery Commissioners, staff members, officials of major lottery vendors Intralot and Scientific Games International and Murphy employees.

"Today we mark the beginning of the Arkansas Lottery Scholarship. At the Department of Higher Education we will use lottery proceeds to fund scholarships for thousands of deserving Arkansans," Dr. Purcell said. "The late economist and journalist Sylvia Porter said there is no better investment than investing in education. In our view this is what we are doing here, investing in education. Arkansas ranks next to last among the states in the percentage of citizens who have a college degree. It is not coincidental we rank 49th in the nation in the median income level of our citizens. The proceeds from the lottery will help us fund scholarships so that more and more Arkansans can obtain a college degree. We are taking a good first step towards investing more money in education in Arkansas.''

The scratch-off effort, which began long before many thought it would, has required some adjustments for the time being.

On a short-term basis, until the claim centers in Jonesboro, Camden and Springdale open, winning lottery tickets of more than $500 can be mailed to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery at P.O. Box 3838, Little Rock, AR 72203. Claims over $500 also can be redeemed at the Little Rock Claim Center in Union Plaza at 124 West Capitol Avenue in Little Rock. Claims may be made from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except on state holidays.

Temporarily, claimants with a winning ticket of an amount greater than $500 may receive mileage if they travel to Little Rock from within the state but beyond a 50-mile radius of the city. The plan calls for winners to be reimbursed for travel mileage at 42 cents per mile. The plan only applies to those who have a valid winning ticket for more than $500 and travel to Little Rock from more than 50 miles. Mileage reimbursement will be based on the address listed on the claim form, and the claimant must provide an acceptable form of identification verifying the claimant's address. Claims for less than $500 can be redeemed at any lottery retailer and will not be subject to the temporary mileage reimbursement previously described. Those who want more information on the reimbursement program may call 501-683-2060.