Massachusetts Lottery relocates office

Jun 16, 2004, 7:07 am (Post a comment)

Massachusetts Lottery

The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission has settled into a new home on Fort Street, relocating the Western Massachusetts office to downtown after 20 years in West Springfield.

"We thought that 20 Fort St. - from an economical standpoint, from a leasing standpoint - was beneficial," said Joseph C. Sullivan, executive director. "We think in the long run, it will be a better location for us."

The newly remodeled 6,000-square-foot office will service 1,000 lottery agents in the four western counties of Massachusetts, and employ 28 full-time workers. The Fort Street office opened May 24. It had been previously located at 128 Myron St. in West Springfield.

The office sells all lottery products and cashes all prizes valued at less than $50,000, according to the commission.

Sullivan cited several other benefits the new location offers both the lottery commission and the city yesterday, including better visibility for the commission and more patrons spending their disposable income in the city after cashing in their winnings.

"We think that overall and in the long run, this location is a better one for the public, with its close proximity to Route 91 and the downtown area," Sullivan said. "It's important to recognizing the city of Springfield as the third-largest city in Massachusetts."

Last year, more than $415 million in lottery sales were recorded in Western Massachusetts, with $104 million dventually returned as local aid payments to cities and towns.

Business yesterday at the commission appeared to be slow, with five patrons entering the office in an hour. Two complained about poor parking in the immediate area, although the lottery commission does validate parking in the adjacent Hampden Street lot. One woman said she had gone to the West Springfield office first before realizing it had been relocated.

The Springfield lottery commission office is open 8:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call (781) 849-5555.

The Republican

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