California Lottery adds new retail locations

SACRAMENTO, California -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- With an eye out for unique retailers to add to the traditional convenience stores where Lottery tickets are sold, the California Lottery has added 1,500 new retail locations in the past year. As a result of the recruitment effort, Lottery tickets are now sold at more than 20,000 authorized retailers, including some pet stores, fitness clubs, golf driving ranges and a car dealership in Los Angeles, South Bay Ford.

"We're proud to welcome these new retailers to the California Lottery family," said Joan Borucki, director of the California Lottery. "They will help us bring great service to Lottery players and more fun to this great state!"

The growing network of retail locations makes the California Lottery a partner with local businesses in nearly every community in the state. Retailers are chosen by the Lottery and based on requirements from the Lottery Act. Characteristics of successful candidates are convenient location, accessibility and strong, positive relations with customers. To ensure the Lottery's integrity, all retailers must pass a thorough background check and a financial profile to verify financial stability.

Authorized retailers can be found by visiting www.calottery.com/locations. California now has one Lottery retailer for every 1,800 residents. California has fewer retailers per residents than the other ten most populous states where the ratio averages one retailer for every 1,400 residents. Expansion of the retail network in order to ensure convenient consumer access was reiterated as part of the 2007 Business Plan.

In the latest fiscal year, retailers sold more than $3.3 billion in Lottery products. Commissions and bonuses to retailers amounted to more than $230 million. The strong performance of retailers enabled the California Lottery to contribute more than $1 billion to California classrooms for the seventh consecutive year.

More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $20 billion to California schools out of total sales of nearly $55 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.5 billion in compensation since 1985.