Several newsagents have reported sales lower than expected sales from the $150M Powerball jackpot last week. Sales for the $100M the week before were good but the expected jump for $150M did not happen.
A couple of those I spoke with raised the question of lottery fatigue. That is, tiredness among lottery shoppers for jackpots.
Lottery fatigue is a real topic of discussion as you can see at the LA Times, USA Today, KOLO TV and MarketWatch.
While the big jackpots get all the media attention, every day there are winners of smaller am punts who are thrilled with their win. Even low prize wins of $10,000, $1,000 and less are a thrill for the winners, they are something worth celebrating.
One way to combat lottery fatigue at the shop level is to celebrate all the wins, no matter how small, and to pitch the thrill of each price being circulated back to the community.
I think focussing on the everyday when it comes to lotteries would be wise rather than the obsession of recent times on the massive jackpots.
Footnote: to any who say this post has been written to downplay or denigrate lottery sales – you are wrong. I hope newsagents have a bright future from lotteries.