Michigan Lottery may use NASCAR images to develop budget
NASCAR drivers to be featured in Michigan Lottery
Michigan state officials intend to spruce up the budget by launching a new series of instant lottery tickets bearing images of popular NASCAR drivers.
Officials expect the innovation to bring $11 million in lottery receipts. According to Lsj.com, the picture of Gordon will bring about $3 million in revenues and using game tickets and Keno monitors for advertising space may generate an additional $8 million.
Michigan Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters said: “An instant scratch-off featuring NASCAR drivers can be very successful. There are 13 other states that offer those kinds of tickets, and they're the most popular instant tickets they have." So far, ho other states currently sell advertising on game tickets or on Keno display screens.
"The purchaser of a lottery ticket is often standing in the middle of a convenience store. What better place for a soft drink company, for example, to place an ad or a coupon?" Peters said.
Keno drawing, which has five-minute intervals between them, may use its “free” time in order to run advertising. According to Peters, new projects maybe hurdled by legislation since current law prohibits the use of sports figures to market the lottery. Though state law have no bans for advertising on tickets, lottery officials want a bill to authorize this activity.
If the bill go-ahead, lottery’s representatives will negotiate with a company that has licensing rights for the NASCAR drivers.
While some lottery gamblers are indifferent to the innovation, the fans of NASCAR are interested in new set.
Gregg Byrne, 53, a NASCAR fan from Madison Heights, says he might spend $5 or $10 on the lottery a year. "It wouldn't make a difference as far as me playing more," he said.
The state budget agreements, which are seeking to handle $1 billion deficit, will include following additional measures: spending cuts for some school districts and state departments, tax increases on smokers and casinos. Greg Bird, spokesman for the state budget office, said the lottery measures are an indication of how tight the budget is. "We're having to get very creative in finding ways to raise revenue," he said.
