Lottery has no plan for extra money

Officials at the Missouri Lottery have no strategy to generate an additional $35 million that legislative budget writers and Gov. Jay Nixon's administration had hoped would help avoid cuts to government services.

A Lottery spokesman told The Associated Press on Tuesday that its goal is to generate about $289 million for education during the fiscal year that began July 1. That would be an increase of little more than 3 percent from last year.

It would fall far short of the $324 million in lottery proceeds that budget analysts for the Legislature and Nixon say is necessary to meet the state's needs.

Budget writers had hoped an extra $35 million in lottery proceeds could supplant general revenues intended for education, freeing up money to avoid cuts in other areas.