Vicki Skaggs of Benton said she's planning on reducing her purchases of lottery tickets due to rising gasoline prices.
Skaggs, an office manager, said she normally buys about $20 of lottery tickets every other day, but she expects gas prices to rise to over $5 per gallon soon.
"You are going to be only able to afford to go to work and home," she said Thursday in an interview after buying several scratch-off lottery tickets totaling $20 at Casey's gas station and convenience store in Bryant.
The statewide gas price average in Arkansas as of Thursday was $3.90 for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel, according to the AAA Arkansas Weekend Gas Watch. That's 7 cents a gallon shy of the highest recorded statewide average price for regular unleaded: $3.97 in July of 2008.
Asked how rising gas prices have affected the lottery's revenues so far in March, Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Director Eric Hagler said Thursday that "as gas prices continue to, quite literally, jump daily, we expect to see additional taper.
"This was forecasted in our budget, so we are not completely surprised," he said. "On a positive note, tax returns are in the mail, and spring is around the corner. Historically, March delivers the highest performance, and we are seeking good sell-through of our games."
In February, the lottery's revenues inched up from $42 million a year ago to $42.3 million, while the amount raised for college scholarships increased from $5.5 million a year ago to $7.4 million.
February is the eighth month of fiscal 2022.
Through the first eight months of fiscal 2022, the lottery's revenues totaled $379.9 million, compared to $388.1 million in the same period in fiscal 2021. So far in fiscal 2022, the lottery has raised $61.4 million for scholarships compared to $63.2 million in the same period in fiscal 2021. The lottery set records for revenues totaling $632.5 million and the amount raised for scholarships at $106.6 million in fiscal 2021.