VILLAGE OF MULLEN LOTTERY

by Wanda Smith

Entry T99 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Village of Mullen Lottery - October 1981 Cleo Jacobs
drawing the first number, Wanda Smith, Village Clerk

It was put on the ballot at the general
election November 1980; Should the Village
of Mullen have a lottery or not. It passed in
favor of the lottery with a wide margin.
After several months of discussion and
planning a Lottery Committee was formed .
Chairman of the Village Board of Trustees,
Jay Dutton appointed the five member
Committee as follows: Chairman Vera Saut-
ter; Joan Rogers, Robert Mandeville, Audrey
McPeak and Gordon Quincy.

The first tickets went on sale at a dollar
each the first of October 1981. A lady from
Omaha and some friends flew to Mullen the
first three or four months to buy tickets. The
first drawing was held October 31, 1981
paying seven places. We had sold one thous-
and three hundred fifty nine tickets. After
the first year the interest of the people began
to lessen we were selling less and less tickets.
The second year we changed the pay off and
just paid four places but interest still
dropped. At the end of March 1984 we held
the final drawing.

In the two and one half years the Village
generated about $4,500. profit from the
lottery. It was spent on Community Improv-
ement. Some went on the lights etc. at the ball
field and some trees for the park.

The Volunteer Firemen ran the Lottery for
a while after the Village quit but they didn't
have much interest shown as they dropped it
too.