Lottery tickets become hot sellers on opening day

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- In the past, many Oklahomans had to travel to neighboring Kansas or Missouri to buy lottery tickets.<br/><br/>But that changed Wednesday morning, as tickets for Oklahoma's new

Tuesday, October 11th 2005, 2:13 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- In the past, many Oklahomans had to travel to neighboring Kansas or Missouri to buy lottery tickets.

But that changed Wednesday morning, as tickets for Oklahoma's new state lottery went on sale.

The manager of a convenience store in Miami -- just a few miles from Kansas and Missouri -- said customers are really excited about the new games. All the states that surround Oklahoma except Arkansas have a lottery.

Online lottery sales are planned for November and the state is scheduled to join the national Powerball system in January.

Despite opposition from churches, a referendum setting up the lottery and dedicating profits to schools and colleges won 64 percent of the vote last November.