W.Va. lottery revenue beating expectations

CHARLESTON, W.Va. --

Revenues for the West Virginia Lottery are nearly $50 million above expectations halfway through the fiscal year.

Budget officials had warned that lottery revenues could dip as new casinos in Ohio go on line. However, construction delays have set back the opening of the Ohio casinos.

Finance Director Jim Toney tells the Charleston Daily Mail the Ohio casinos were to be completed in December, but those dates are now set back to late February or March.

Meantime, Toney said overall lottery revenues were running 7.5 percent above expectations through the end of December.

The lottery brought in more than $706.4 million in instant ticket, online, racetrack, table game and video lottery revenue from July 1 to Dec. 31.

Racetrack revenue is beating estimates, the result of warm winter weather.