Lotterywest’s main channel ‘wins the lottery’.

 

The Western Australian government will contribute almost $40 million over the next few years to help the state’s newsagencies counter the impact of online gambling and lower margins in key categories..

 

The state’s 500 newsagencies, which rely on the state-owned Lotterywest lottery sales for a large part of their income, are coming under pressure with a rise in online news and entertainment impacting newspaper and magazine sales.

 

Lotterywest chief executive Ralph Addis said newsagency shop fronts were as important to Lotterywest as Lotterywest is to newsagents.

 

WA Premier Mark McGowan told the West Australian that newsagents are the “backbone of Lotterywest” and the government would provide $4.5 million every year in direct payments to increase their sustainability.

 

“Newsagents like everything else, need to change with the times but making sure we properly support newsagents and Lotterywest retailers is what this is about,” the Premier said.