PHOENIX - - Maybe it's dreaming of winning the big jackpot and striking it rich, maybe it's part of a routine, or maybe it's just fun, but Arizonans are certainly unique when it comes to purchasing lottery tickets.
"Business is great at the lottery," says Arizona Lottery Executive Director Jeff Hatch-Miller.
Even Hatch-Miller admits it's an odd statement considering most states with lotteries and casinos have seen business drop.
"It is rare, in that Las Vegas is down 16-percent, the Tribes are down double digits," says Hatch-Miller.
"Every lottery in the Southwest such as California and New Mexico they're all down five to seven percent," he says.
According to Hatch-Miller, Arizona Lottery sales were up 2.5 percent last year and up almost 19 percent so far this year.
As for why Arizona is one of the few states seeing an increase, Hatch-Miller and others working at the Arizona Lottery Headquarters in Phoenix say there is no secret behind they're success.
"People can win more and win more often," said Hatch-Miller while standing in the lobby of the headquarters as a person purchased Powerball tickets.
The Arizona Lottery has recently introduced several new games such as high dollar jackpot scratch-offs which Hatch-Miller says, combined with better advertising, has helped with the success.
While the lottery sees an increase in sales, the State of Arizona benefits as well.
"Since 1981 when the lottery was started here, over $2.5 billion has gone back to the state to help programs like health and education and the arts," says Hatch-Miller.
Arizona is part of a group of states that takes part in the popular Powerball lottery which generates a lot of attention for its massive jackpots.
Hatch-Miller admits those multi-million dollar jackpots help tremendously.
"Being a Powerball state is critical, it's the largest jackpot often times in the world," says Hatch-Miller.
