New game offers $1 million prizes

CHARLOTTE -- N.C. lottery officials are unveiling a new scratch-off ticket today that could make millionaires out of 10 people.

They'll also announce a sponsorship deal with the Charlotte Bobcats that will allow ticket sales at home basketball games through the regular NBA season ending in April.

The "$100 Million Cash Spectacular" will be the largest game since the state began its lottery in March 2006, Executive Director Tom Shaheen said. A record 73 percent of the money -- more than $117 million -- will go toward prizes.

It's the state's latest effort to boost game sales by spending more money to give players more chances to win. Shaheen said the strategy appears to be working, with lottery sales up 13 percent in December.

"If we offer more prizes," he said, "we will sell more tickets and ultimately raise more money for education."

The new scratch-off will feature more than 365,000 prizes, including ten $1 million top awards, Shaheen said. Tickets cost $10.

Lottery officials will be in Charlotte today to debut the new ticket and appear at the Bobcats game tonight.

The lottery is paying the Bobcats $160,000 for the deal, which includes a variety of promotional efforts such as in-game announcements and kiosks to sell tickets inside Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

The lottery sponsored the Raleigh-based Carolina Hurricanes last season.

Since the lottery made its debut nearly two years ago, sales have fallen below expectations.

Officials said part of the reason sales were lower was that North Carolina has paid out less in prize money than neighboring states with lotteries.

Virginia and South Carolina put 57 percent and 60 percent, respectively, of lottery revenue towards prizes during the last fiscal year, compared to 52 percent for North Carolina.

But last year state lawmakers gave the lottery permission to use more revenue toward prizes.

The lottery introduced or reissued 15 games from September to December with an average prize payout of 60 percent.