CHARLESTON, W.Va. — New West Virginia Lottery Director Alan Larrick said Tuesday his agency is considering offering gaming enhancements for state lawmakers to look at in the upcoming regular session as a way to increase revenue.
“That is very possible that there will be things presented to the legislature,” Larrick said following his first Lottery Commission meeting in Charleston. “I can’t tell you what they are. We haven’t gotten to that point but we are looking at things.”
Larrick, a longtime Beckley attorney, has been on the job for just two weeks and admitted he still has a lot to learn. He said he didn’t originally realize how much was involved in the state Lottery.
“It’s a big job and the people here are doing a fantastic job. I don’t think I could walk into a situation that is better with people who are so knowledgeable and who have been so helpful to me,” he said.
Larrick comes on board at a time when the Lottery faces the stiffest competition from other states that it has in its 31-year history. The $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor casino and resort in Maryland, near Washington D.C. has broken gambling revenue records during its first few months of existence. The facility has eaten into profits at the casino in Charles Town.
Larrick recognized the challenge.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to make our lotteries and our casinos as attractive as they can be to increase and grow business here in the state of West Virginia,” he said.
Total revenue for the Lottery in December was just under $85 million down $10 million from December 2015. The Lottery is off $28 million through six months of the fiscal year when compared to last fiscal year’s revenue numbers.
When asked Tuesday about any possible conflict between Gov. Jim Justice and the casino at the Greenbrier Resort Larrick said Justice’s daughter Jill Justice is in charge of the business.