Survey: MN Spent Nearly $100 Per Capita On Lottery In 2014
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Recently-released research figures show that Minnesotans spent on average close to $100 per person during 2014.
The figures were released by the Pew Charitable Trusts, who analyzed data from Stateline pertaining to the amount of money people in the U.S. shelled out for lottery tickets.
Minnesota's 2014 lottery sales amounted to more than $531 million, or an average of $97.40 per resident. That is below the overall national average of approximately $250 per person.
The state's neighbor to the west -- South Dakota -- was second in the nation for lottery sales per capita, with an average of $756 spent per person there.
The Pew Charitable Trusts reports that a number of states are mulling over whether to impose limits on how many lottery tickets so-called "super users" can buy.
The report notes that Minnesota Rep. Chris Swedzinski introduced a bill requiring 25 percent of lottery billboards to include warnings about the dangers of addiction and the odds of actually winning. The reports says the bill was sent to committee amid opposition from lawmakers and the Minnesota Lottery.
"A number of the legislators kind of realized quite honestly that it's kind of absurd to require the least problematic gaming there is to go miles beyond the most addictive as far as warnings," Ed Van Petten, executive director of the Minnesota Lottery, said.
