Sales in North Carolina’s first lottery reached $8 million on the first day and more than $25 million in its first week, according to lottery officials. The games, authorized by the state legislature last fall, began March 30 with the sale of scratch-off tickets.
The proceeds, expected to reach $400 million, will primarily benefit K-12 and higher education in the Tar Heel State.
The lottery measure narrowly passed the legislature after a series of failed proposals over the past decade to create a state lottery to benefit public education. Lottery foes argued that it preys on the poor. Other observers expressed concern that the new money for education would simply supplant traditional sources.
The state is planning to join the multistate Powerball lottery later this year.
