By Phil Kabler, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Record Limited Video Lottery play and strong sales of traditional scratch-off games helped offset a difficult year for West Virginia casinos, pushing state Lottery gross revenue back over the $1 billion mark for the 2020-21 budget year, after the pandemic during most of last year ended an 18-year streak of $1 billion revenue years.
“For the year, LVL helped us along quite a bit. It helped make up for the decrease in racetrack revenues,” Lottery Director John Myers said after Wednesday’s Lottery Commission meeting.
Through May, the Lottery grossed $1.07 billion, led by a record $440 million in Limited Video Lottery play at bars, clubs and fraternal organizations around the state.
Myers told commissioners that, when June revenue is tallied, the Lottery should finish the 2020-21 budget year with gross revenue of between $1.16 billion and $1.17 billion. The budget year ended Wednesday…