Washington County per capita lottery sales top in Maine

Washington County residents have the highest per capita spending of $238 per year on Maine State Lottery tickets for 2009. Waldo County residents spent the least at $121, and the second highest per capita expenditure was found in Kennebec County at $192. Most counties saw their residents spending around $155.

In 2004 Maine ranked 22nd of all the states that allow lotteries, with an average of $141 in per capita sales, while Rhode Islanders spent a whopping $1,373. However, according to the DC-based nonprofit Tax Foundation, Maine's relative modesty in lottery sales is no cause for celebration.

Mainers, like many Americans, aren't upbeat about their ability to save for retirement, a 2006 Tax Foundation study found. The study, though, calculated that if $300 per year, or $25 per month, were saved for retirement over a 40-year period and invested in the Standard & Poor 500, the money would have grown to about $91,862.44 by the end of its investment cycle.

According to a gambling study done by the Center for Economic Development at University of Massachusetts, as income decreases, gambling increases as a perceived way "to invest or make money." Washington County is the poorest in the state, with a poverty rate of 20% and a median household income of $31,856, so budgets do not have a lot of wiggle room.

Lottery sales are paid for with household discretionary income -- any money left over after all essentials such as housing and food have been bought. Discretionary income might be used for savings, investment or additional household purchases. According to a study done by the Business Research Bureau of South Dakota, household funds that had been used for "apparel and accessory stores, recreation services, automobile dealers and service stations -- furniture stores and business services," were "diverted" into lottery purchases.

The South Dakota study analyzed national and individual state figures, reporting, "The most definitive finding is that as a percentage of household income, lottery expenditures decline steadily as incomes rise." This finding holds true for Maine. Cumberland County, the wealthiest county in the state, has a median household income of $54,053 and a poverty rate of 10.1%. The per capita figure for lottery purchases in the county was $151, one of the lowest amounts for the state's 16 counties.

There are 52 Washington County retail outlets for lottery sales. The highest number of sales is found at Stewart's Grocery and Takeout in Jonesboro. Their 2009 lottery sales amounted to $389,074. The Farmers' Union in Perry was seventh in lottery ticket sales at $247,802. "Sales have held steady over the past two years," says owner Doug Pottle. Of the ticket types he says, "The $5 and $10 do really well." He says the $1 tickets do not sell well. "You don't get anything when you win." There is no average amount that he sees spent at any one time on lottery tickets. "We sell all amounts."