Sandusky tops lottery sales in Erie County

SANDUSKY — Live in Sandusky? Like to play the lottery? You're not alone.According to statistics released last week by the lottery at the Register's request, the top retail outlet in Sandusky for lottery sales, for two years in a row, is Sandusky Food Mart at 1038 Cleveland Road.The other top five retailers so far in 2017 are all in the city, or right on the border. Sandusky is the largest city in the county. But the statistics also fit with national studies that show lower-income people tend to be the biggest customers for lottery tickets.Sandusky Food Mart had total lottery sales of $1,460,717 through Dec. 2 this year, outdistancing the second-place store, Friendship Food Store No. 85, 922 W. Perkins Ave., which had $952,674 of sales so far this year. In 2016, Sandusky Food Mart's lottery sales were $1,613,021.When the Register called Sandusky Food Mart to ask for an interview, the man who answered the telephone said the store was not interested in discussing the lottery.Sandusky had a population of 25,793 on the 2010 census.While Sandusky does have residents who are very well off, in general, income in the city tends to lag behind Erie County as a whole.According to the Census Bureau, in 2015 Sandusky's median income was $33,786 while its mean income was $47,611. Erie County's median income in 2015 was $48,011, while the mean income was $63,692."Median income is the amount which divides the income distribution into two equal groups, half having income above that amount, and half having income below that amount," according to the Census Bureau. "Mean income (average) is the amount obtained by dividing the total aggregate income of a group by the number of units in that group."Research tends to show low-income people particularly tend to favor playing the lottery.A paper published in 2011 in the Journal of Gambling Studies, "Lottery Gambling: A Review," concluded poor people "are still the leading patron of the lottery and even the people who were made to feel poor buy lotteries.""The legalization of gambling has seen a significant increase in young people gambling, particularly in lotteries, and the best predictor of their lottery gambling is their parents' lottery participation," the document said.The paper did have good news for the tiny percentage of lottery players who win big."Contrary to the myth that a big lottery win will ruin the winners' lives, lottery winners tend to be well-adjusted and their life quality seems to improve," an abstract of the paper said.A 2008 study in the Journal of Behavioral Decision making found state lotteries return only 53 cents on the dollar, but remain extremely popular, "especially among the poor, who play the most but can least afford to play."Voters created the state lottery in 1973, in a voter referendum. The lottery began operations in August 1974. Run by a director and nine-member commission named by the governor, the Ohio Lottery has about 380 employees and ranks ninth nationally in overall sales.In 1987, voters approved a constitutional amendment earmarking lottery profits to education.Lottery profits transferred to education now top $1 billion a year. The lottery's transfers to education were $669 million in Fiscal Year 2007 and grew to $1.06 billion in Fiscal Year 2016.Top 20 lottery retailers in Erie County in 2017, through Dec. 1:1. Sandusky Food Mart, 1038 Cleveland Road, Sandusky, $1,460,717.2. Friendship Food Store No. 85, 922 W. Perkins Ave, Sandusky, $952,674.3. Perkins Convenient Food Mart, 1917 E. Perkins Ave., $898,319.4. Friendship Food Store No. 84, 1318 Cleveland Road, $897,705.5. Friendship Food Store No. 96, 3115 Tiffin Ave., $761,190.6. Cliff's Carryout, 809 Pierce St., Sandusky, $733,544.7. FOE Eagles 2875, 2902 Cleveland Road West, Huron, $640,315.8. Dave's Park Avery, 104 Mason Road West, Milan, $626,475.9. Dick's Drive Thru,1318 Tiffin Ave., Sandusky, $613,196.10. Cedar Downs, 1935 Cleveland Road, Sandusky, $604,003.11. Meijer No. 142, 4702 Milan Road, Sandusky, $571,041.12. Harney's Market, 3712 Columbus Ave., Sandusky, $561,310.13. Friendship Food Store No. 98, 1810 Ohio 60, Vermilion, $556,415.14. Kroger, 226 E. Perkins Ave., Sandusky, $549,286.15. Hy Miler No. 2202, 2506 Columbus Ave., Sandusky, $500,847.16. Castalia Market, 507 N. Washington St., $491,201.17. American Legion No. 397, 2713 State Road, Vermilion, $482,561.18. Village Drive Thru, 1 Front St., Milan, $466,191.19. Quick Mart, 3594 Liberty Ave., Vermilion, $439,863.20. Vermilion Country Club, 12210 West Lake Road, Vermilion, $420,262.Reach the Register at news@sanduskyregister.com. Follow us on Twitter @SanduskyRegistr and at Facebook.com/sanduskyregisterSandusky Food Mart on Cleveland Road on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017.Profits from the Ohio Lottery turned over to public education in Ohio.