Lottery Sales Start Oct. 3, Drawing Is 3 Weeks Later : $1 Billion in Profits Expected

The long-delayed California lottery will finally begin at noon Oct. 3, when 400 million tickets go on sale at nearly 20,000 retailers from one end of the state to the other.

When the games begin in four weeks, they will be the largest lottery operation in the world with an estimated $1 billion in profits in its first year.

The drawings will begin within three weeks after the first tickets go on sale.

Gov. George Deukmejian, a longtime foe of the state’s new gambling games who has refused to take part in the Oct. 3 opening ceremonies, hedged his bets today and showed up at a state Capitol news conference to formally announce the lottery starting date.

“I want California’s lottery to be a success because of its importance to education and because the people voted for it,” Deukmejian said, explaining his presence at the news conference, where he was flanked by several lottery officials.

Won’t Buy Ticket

Besides, the governor quipped, he had been asked so many times when the lottery would begin that he felt it was appropriate that he be the one to announce the starting date.

But Deukmejian will not be one of the millions of Californians expected to buy the little instant “scratch-out” tickets that will go on sale in October promising prizes ranging from $2 to $5,000.

“What would happen if I bought a lottery ticket and won? There is no way I could possibly explain to people that there hadn’t been some kind of irregularities,” Deukmejian joked.

Also revealed today was the new symbol for the lottery--a bright golden “L” on a field of green. The symbol signifies the “vigor of the California sun,” the golden poppy and the green farmlands of California, according to lottery public affairs director William Seaton.

Logo at All Outlets

“Or the green of several million dollars,” Seaton added with a laugh.

The logo will appear on all lottery advertising material and at the myriad of stores, bars, restaurants and other businesses that will sell the tickets across the state.

Lottery officials said their opening day will be filled with statewide hoopla, including noon celebrations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco. In addition, there will be nighttime extravaganzas in the same cities featuring show business celebrities and college musicians.

Californians can also expect a full round of high jinks and TV and radio commercials in advance of the games.

Stalled Since March

The lottery--approved by 58% of the voters in the November, 1984, election--was supposed to begin March 21 but was stalled by a series of problems, including the five months it took Deukmejian to find a person to fill the $73,000-a-year post of lottery director.

Mark Michalko, the man ultimately selected to run the lottery, said preparations for the games had “moved as rapidly as humanly possible (but) cautiously” to ensure proper safeguards.

No mention was made Wednesday of the overwhelming odds players will face. Out of 400 million tickets to be sold in the first game, there will be only 45,135,000 awards--40 million $2 winners, 5 million $5 winners, 100,000 $100 winners, 15,000 $500 winners, 10,000 $1,000 winners and 10,000 $5,000 winners. There will be 354,865,000 losing tickets.

Each player winning $100 will be eligible for a weekly drawing during which about 10 people will be picked to spin a giant wheel for jackpots up to $2 million. Most of the jackpot spins will be made on a weekly prime-time television show.