4 months ago
ShareEveryone knows that the probability of striking it big with the lottery can be a long shot, still the people of Dallas County are certainly trying. Fordyce is the county seat. Based on population, it's the seventh smallest of Arkansas' 75 counties.
It's a place with a certain charm to it. Quaint shops, quiet roads, just a handful of stop lights. In fact, in Dallas County practically everybody knows your name. After all, there are only about 9,000 people.
Resident Tammie Works says, "It's a community effort, we all kind of work together. We all support each other."
It's a county mostly known for its timber industry. But these days it's getting attention for something else.
Since the Arkansas lottery started two weeks ago, they're surpassing all others in ticket sales. The ticket numbers show that Dallas County has sold $17.64 per capita or $17.64 per person. The average income for a family of four is $32,000
Works says, "I am kind of shocked to tell you the truth because we are a small town."
We met Works at one of the 13 lottery retailers in the county. She says most people are glad the lottery is here. We checked the vote and found 57 percent were in favor and 43 percent were against.
Cammie Jackson owns the Super Mart and says she's seen business pick up quite bit.
"A lot of our customers got to Louisiana to play it. Me included. So year it was a good thing," says Jackson.
As for what officials think, County Judge Jimmy Jones calls the area one of Arkansas' poorer counties; which is why he's just as baffled.
"I have had people in the last few weeks call me asking for help from state federal and local officials that have never called me before," he explains.
Jones says one explanation could be that they're a crossroads for nearby cities like Sheridan and Pine Bluff. In the meantime, he says it will take six to eight months before they'll know if this news is a win or a loss for the county.
Arkansas Lottery officials on Wednesday released a county-by-county breakdown of lottery retailer sales that totaled $19 million. (Click here for the report. PDF)
From Sept. 28, the start of lottery ticket sales, through Sunday, Dallas County sold $17.64 in tickets per capita.
Coming in second was Conway County's $14.18 per capita sales, followed by Arkansas County's $13.65, Jackson County's $12.99 and Jefferson County's $12.96.
The five counties whose retailers sold the least in tickets per person were Newton County at $1.44 per capita, Benton County $1.62, Montgomery County
Source: Today's THV & Associated Press
