Lottery officials reporting dip in sales, revenue

"Our sales are off about $49 million over where we were at this time last year," Heith said. "But our sales were also down about this time last year, so it's hard to say what is driving that." He said a lack of large jackpots and the jackpot-driven games, along with a lack of new scratch-off games, are also contributing to declining sales.

"Sales often peak when we introduce a new game," he said. "We introduced a new $50 scratch-off game in November and saw an increase in sales. We also sell a lot more when Texas Lotto or Mega-Millions games reach triple digits. We haven't had that happen in a while."

Heith said sales have seen a 1.8 percent decrease so far this year. While that may not seem like much, Heith said, when it's part of a $3.77 billion-a-year industry, it can add up to a lot of money.

Heath said that while a large number of lottery outlets are at gas stations or convenience stores, the numbers do not yet indicate that high gas prices are the main reason for the drop in sales. He said the commission is watching that and other trends to track sales and monitor the situation.