First 41 Million Lottery Tickets Arrive, Hoopla in Tow

Two trucks carrying 41 million “scratch-off” tickets pulled in here from a Georgia printing plant Tuesday, the first tangible sign that Californians soon will get their wish to gamble in a state lottery.

Lottery officials--hoping to generate some excitement for their long-stalled games--staged a full-blown publicity event for the arrival of the bannered vehicles, complete with press interviews and a special “seal-breaking” ceremony aboard one of the huge vehicles.

“Watch for the lottery start-up!” two large signs beckoned Sacramento residents from the sides of the trucks.

More truck-arrival hoopla is planned today at the lottery’s Whittier warehouse, when 41 million tickets destined for Southern California sales will be unloaded.

By the end of the week, 400 million tickets will be in place ready for a late September or early October lottery start-up.

Under terms of Proposition 37, passed last November by a 58% to 42% margin, the lottery was supposed to begin March 21, but was delayed by a myraid of problems, including a go-slow approach by Gov. George Deukmejian, who opposed the lottery. Deukmejian selected the lottery commissioners and a lottery director.

Included in the 400 million tickets, which lottery players will buy for $1 apiece, will be 40 million $2 winning tickets, 5 million $5 winners, 100,000 of the $100 winners, 15,000 of the $500 winners, 10,000 of the $1,000 winners and 10,000 chances to win a prize of $5,000.

In addition, each person who gets a $100 winning ticket will be eligible for a weekly drawing, during which 10 people will be selected to spin a wheel during a half-hour prime-time television show. Prizes in the wheel-spinning event will range from $10,000 to $2 million.

In another ticket-related event Tuesday, a bill making it a misdemeanor to print lottery tickets outside California passed out of the Senate Government Organization Committee on a 6-5 vote. The bill, which now will be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee, would take effect in 1987.

If the measure becomes law, it could benefit Scientific Games, the company that now has the $40 million contract to print California’s lottery tickets and a firm that has a heavy lobbying presence in the State Capitol. Scientific Games wrote the initiative creating the California lottery and almost single-handedly financed its passage.

The company owns a multi-million printing plant in Gilroy, an area represented by the author of the misdemeanor bill, Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-Los Banos).

Right now Scientic Games is printing California’s tickets in Georgia, under a temporary court order to honor its contract with a printing firm there. But that contract can be terminated with one year’s notice, according to Scientific Games chairman John Koza. That would clear the way for the company to use its now-idle Gilroy facility.

“We’re not behind the bill. We didn’t see it before it went in. ... We’re not lobbying it,” Koza said Tuesday.

Areias labeled as “pure poppycock” suggestions that he was doing a favor for Scientific Games, which donated $2,000 to his campaign committee on May 1. Areias said he introduced his bill in reaction to the court decision requiring Scientific Games to print California’s tickets in Georgia.

Areias said the only group lobbying for his bill was the printers’ union.