NM Lottery Sales Jump

Officials with the New Mexico Lottery say the last half of 2012 saw an increase in net sales of $7 million.  Lottery figures released this week show sales between July 1 and Dec. 31 totaled nearly $70 million. That's an 11 percent increase from the same period the year before.

Officials say players also won more during the period. Winnings increased from $28.4 million in the first half of the previous fiscal year to more than $31 million.

Mid-year profits for the Legislative Lottery Scholarship program also increased to just over $21 million.

The lottery's goal is to sell $135 million in tickets and raise more than $40 million for the scholarship program by June 30, which is the end of the fiscal year.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.