Sales of scratch-off tickets launched statewide Monday, beginning a three-phase implementation of the Mississippi Lottery. Businesses approved for lottery braced for a rush of customers for the first day.
At Union Tobacco, owner Robert Carleton said customers had been coming in to buy scratch-off tickets, but there hadn’t been a large rush.
“We’ve had people come in to buy them, and we’ve had several winners,” he said.
Carleton said he glad a large crowd didn’t show up first thing in the morning because his staff was still trying to learn the system. A 2-hour training seminar was held a few weeks ago by the company contracted by Mississippi lottery, he said, but there is a lot of learn-as-you-go training to be done.
“They sat us down in front of a bank of lottery terminals and turned the fire hose on,” he said.
Implementing a state-wide lottery is a huge ordeal, Carleton explained, and lottery representatives have a lot on their plates. For instance, he said, the representative assigned to Union Tobacco is covering a 6-county area.
“You can imagine how many stores there are in six counties,” he said.
As with any new system, especially one the size of the lottery, there are a few kinks to work out in the first few days. Carleton said he would have liked to see more training and more lottery staff to help local store owners, but considering the size and scale of the system, it seemed to be going well.
The implementation of scratch-off tickets is the first of three phases in the plan to install a statewide lottery in Mississippi. The second phase, the Mississippi Lottery, is expected to begin as soon as next month, and the final phase, Powerball, has a deadline of Jan. 25.
In Newton County, lottery tickets can be purchased at Union Tobacco, Union 4-Way Stop, Newton Crossing, Newton Junction, Fair Market Newton, DS Gas and Grocery, and CEFCO Convenience Store 506.
For more information about the lottery or to see a full list of approved retailers, visit mslotteryhome.com.
