ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A new game the Florida Lottery started offering Monday is raising concerns about gambling addictions. The game offers something that other Florida lottery games do not: instant gratification.
It plays like bingo and boasts lotto-sized jackpots, but the Florida Lottery told WFTV that's not much different than the scratch-offs and EZ Match option already offered, and it's meant for discretionary play.
Sales of the Florida Lottery's newest game, Lucky Lines, were brisk at Food and Lotto on Semoran Boulevard in Orange County Monday afternoon.
"I wanted to play this. It really looks cool. It's a lot easier than the other ones," lotto player Mari Gayoso said.
WFTV decided to see how lucky the lines were, so they purchased $100 in quick picks. After WFTV finished scanning the tickets, they had 24 winners worth just $37. It's certainly more immediate than some of the lotto's other big jackpot games. It has a maximum pay-out of $3 million and that could lure some compulsive gamblers.
"Instant gratification games, such as slot machines and scratch-offs and games of that nature, do appeal to people with gambling problems," said Brian Kongsvik, of the Fla. Council on Compulsive Gambling.
Ten percent of the people who called the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling's hotline sited the lottery as their primary problem. But in the past year, the council did see an overall 12 percent hike in calls to its hotline; many of those people were trying to win to pay the bills.
"If you want to spend all your money on the lottery, you have a problem," lotto player Stephen Gulston said.
Gulston played Lucky Lines, but he didn't think it provided any more temptation than any other lottery game. He walked away $1 in the hole.
"I'm sure next time I'll be luckier than today," he said.
As of Monday evening, the regional office has not reported any jackpot winners, worth $600.
WFTV
