By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Missouri's public schools are getting $15 million less from the state's lottery than the previous year.
The $215 million in funding from the Missouri Lottery is on target with what the agency promised for the current fiscal year. But in 2004 the agency provided $230 million in funding.
Lottery Spokesman Gary Gonder says the decrease is because of a dip in sales. He blames that in part on legislative budget cuts to the agency over the last three years.
"Really I think the cumulative effects of those cuts are finally being felt and obviously a $15 million reduction is nothing we're very proud of," Gonder said.
Gonder says the Missouri Lottery has lost about 25 percent of its funding from the state, or about $13 million, since 2002.
He says that means less money can be spent on advertising or to create new lottery games to attract players.