Small Detroit suburb Oak Park is big on the lottery

Michigan lottery ticket sales per resident in Oak Park, a small city of about 30,000 atop Detroit's northern border, are by far the highest in the state.

Michigan lottery officials compiled a list of 45 retailers that sold more than $1 million in tickets during the past year. Oak Park is home to only about 0.3 percent of the state's population, but the town placed five retailers on the list. This was more than Pontiac, Flint, Saginaw, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo -- more than any community other than the city of Detroit itself, which has a U.S. census estimated population of 871,000.

Oak Park Mayor Jerry Naftaly says he initially was surprised to learn this information, but then he thought about things. He visits the stores often because he likes to bring pop and chips to the frequent board and committee meetings that he hosts at City Hall or other locations. Or sometimes he will simply pick up a newspaper. He usually sees people purchasing lottery tickets. He often ends up buying a few of his own.

"These are stores with convenient parking, they are well-lit, and they are operated by nice people who have good, clean places," Naftaly says.

"The operators are so quick, people know they can get their tickets and be out of there quickly."

At the same time, says Oak Park's mayor, store owners and employees also will take time for a friendly chat when there isn't a big rush.

Lottery officials say Oak Liquor and Wine, 13700 W. Eight Mile, is the only retailer to exceed $2 million in yearly sales. Other Oak Park retailers that have surpassed $1 million include:

-- Danny's Fine Wine, 23063 Coolidge Road.

-- New Northend Market, 21601 Coolidge Highway.

-- Light House Liquor, 13651 W. Nine Mile.

-- Scotia Stop Food Store, 12701 W. 10 Mile.

Naftaly notes that the stores, in turn, support Oak Park's local government. Scotia Stop is a longtime sponsor of youth recreation programs, while Light House backs public safety investments.

Specific reasons difficult to find

Richard Fox, Oak Park's city manager, agrees with Naftaly that the town's stores are clean and well-run. So does Mel Newman, the city's public information director. Still, they are stumped in trying to figure out how a town with a fraction of a percent of the state's residents can be home to 11 percent of the state's million-dollar lottery retailers.

"I can't guess even," says Newman, who, unlike Naftaly, is not a regular lottery player. "I'm not feeding into it."

Sam Abraham, Light House Liquor owner, says his lottery sales success is nothing new.

"We've had the same customers for many years," Abraham says. "We're friendly, we're fast and we're very reliable. We put our customers first here, and we have a good relationship with them."

Mike Sawa, Oak Park Liquor and Wine owner, says he relies on three lottery machines and extra employees on hand so customers do not face long waits. He also focuses on paying prize-winners promptly, even sending an employee to a nearby bank if the need arises.

Naftaly speculates that store location is a key to Oak Park's lottery sales success. Sawa's store, for example, is on the Oak Park side of heavily traveled Eight Mile Road, which is the border with Detroit. Abraham's store is near the popular Davison Coney Island Restaurant, which is a regional attraction.

Payback for lottery sales?

Michigan's lottery this year is providing $724 million of the state's $12.7 billion school aid budget, or 5.7 percent. Naftaly jokes that he wouldn't mind more aid of his own, in the form of an occasional winning ticket.

"I'd rather be a winner and take some of this money from the lottery," he says. "It's not working out that way, but I'm going to continue to contribute."

The mayor is more serious when he proposes that state lottery officials could consider reopening a local office in Oak Park. A former office on Eight Mile, near Greenfield, was torn down during the late 1990s to make way for development.

"Since Oak Park contributes so much to the lottery sales," says Naftaly, "it would be nice if they would make it convenient for our residents to cash their larger winning tickets."

Sources:

http://www.michigan.gov/lottery/0,1607,7-110-31293_31295_54902-226796--,00.html
http://www.oakpark-mi.com/index.asp
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26/2622000.html
http://www.infoplease.com/us/census/data/michigan/oak-park/