The State - News from Nov. 13, 1986

Lotto terminals will soon be placed in new locations as lottery officials drop retailers with the lowest game sales, officials said. Under guidelines being developed by lottery officials for lotto retailers, a store can be dropped when its game sales rank in the bottom 10% for the 5,000 outlets statewide during eight consecutive weeks. Low-volume outlets would be spared if they provide the only service in a particular region. During the last week of October, for example, 459 retailers, or 9.4% of the total, logged net sales of under $500. Meanwhile, 1,269, or 26.7%, sold $500 to $999; 1,239, or 25.3% $1,000 to $1,499, and 1,916, or 39.3% $1,500 and over. The network of terminals, which some players have complained is too sparse, will be bolstered next year with the award of a contract for another 2,600 terminals.