The Nation - News from Jan. 12, 1988

The West Virginia Lottery Commission faces lagging sales and dwindling income and should consider laying off workers and closing some offices to control costs, lottery officials said. Lottery Director Oscar Wallace said the agency’s costs so far this fiscal year are running about 4% over what state law permits. Under state law, the Lottery Commission’s operating expenses cannot exceed 21% of gross income during the first three years of the agency’s existence. In the first half of this fiscal year, the lottery spent about 25% of its proceeds on operating costs, Wallace said.