The Mississippi Lottery Corp. recently announced that scratch-off lottery tickets will be available on November 25, the Monday before Thanksgiving. Previously, officials said sales would start December 1. Sales of multistate lottery tickets for Powerball and MegaMillions games will begin January 30.
The new lottery is expected to generate $40 million in revenue the first year, then increase to $80-$100 million the following year. Lottery proceeds will go toward infrastructure improvements and education.
More than 400 retailers have been approved by the lottery corporation to sell the tickets. Players can access the Lottery Places app or lotteryplaces.com to find the closest retailer. Lottery Places is the only app on the market that locates lottery retailers in every U.S. state and jurisdiction, as well as in Canada, Mexico, the UK and the Caribbean.
Mississippi Lottery President Tom Shaheen said, “The pillar of the lottery is having successful retailers on board. We are working with retailers to ensure they are well-prepared for launch.” Shaheen noted there is no limit on the number of retailers the Mississippi Lottery may accept.
Once the Mississippi Lottery launches, only five states—Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah—will not have lotteries. The Alabama Senate approved a lottery in the last session but the bill did not get a vote in the House. Alabama lawmakers said they’ll try to pass the legislation in the upcoming session.
