When Douglas Kidd scratched off $10,000 on the Maryland Million lottery ticket at the Royal Farms convenience store in Hampden seven years ago he bought a car.

Since then, every afternoon after work he stops by the same store to play Keno, now his favorite game. He hopes to hit big bucks and pay off some bills.

Lately, he has had more company.

“There are times you come in here and there is a long line,” said 53-year-old Kidd. “Things are getting tighter with the economy, and people are spending more to make some dollars.”

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Maryland Lottery closed its 11th straight record sales year in June. Receipts of more than $1.673 billion put $529 million in government coffers, and paid out more than $967 million in prizes.

“I think we had a lot of promotions of the [game], and our scratch-off category helped us achieve the record sales we experienced,” said Maryland Lottery Director Buddy Roogow.

Fifty-eight-year-old Clarence Baynes of Northeast Baltimore certainly contributed to Lottery's increased sales. Instead of a lunch break, he walks to a Citgo gas station near work, scratching-off as many as 26 Pick 4 tickets.

“If I hit today, something big, as soon as I get off work, I'll cash it in and fill the tank with gas,” said Baynes, laughing. “I might not have money, but I'll have gas.”

Once, after winning $600, he paid off his car payment.

Not everybody is laughing or scratching, however.

At the Russell Street Citgo Station, where Clarence is a regular, skyrocketing fuel prices keep some away from the lottery ticket spools.

“When the gas prices rose, we've seen fall-off in some of the lottery sales and it was directly related to the economy,” Roogow said. “By the time you fill up your tank, you've already spent a lot of money on the gas.”

Although people like to gamble as the economy gets worse, lotteries are not recession-proof, said James Trela, graduate department chair of sociology and anthropology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

“Gambling is an impulse kind of a purchase and if they are not in the store, they'll not do the purchase,” he said. “Economy will drive down lottery sales.”

Launched in 1973, the Maryland Lottery has contributed more than $10.7 billion to the State to supplement state tax revenues.

More than $15.6 billion has been paid to players in jackpots and prizes, and Maryland businesses have taken in more than $1.6 billion in commissions for selling Lottery products and winning tickets.

The biggest challenge for Maryland's Lottery will be to score even higher figures in the year of 2009 said Roogow.

But as long as Kidd, Baynes and others continue to scratch off or jot down their lucky numbers on a daily Keno sheet, Maryland Lottery has no worries.

“You'll have to play to win,” Kidd said. “You never know, it could be you to win big.”

Fiscal year-end highlights include:

Sales: $1.673 billion, a $96 million, or 6.1% increase over last year

Revenues: $529 million, a $35 million increase

Prizes: $967 million, a $48 million increase

Commissions earned by retailers: $118 million, a $5.6 million increase

Watch Kidd on video in the E-dition of today’s newspaper at www.baltimoreexaminer.com.

ana.sebescen@baltimoreexaminer.com