WORCESTER, Mass. -- There is a new push to let Bay State cities and towns keep the revenue from lottery tickets sold there.

Tweak Lottery Formula?

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported that the proposal was meant to help one big city, but some question if it would be fair to everyone.

Worcester received $39 million in lottery money last year. But city officials said that is not their fair share considering how many tickets are sold there.

Worcester City Councilor Joffrey Smith said the city's schools needs more teachers and textbooks, and he is worried about the future of music and art classes.

The lottery distribution formula, he said, has Worcester subsidizing other communities.

"I think it should better recognize the communities that do support the lottery, so as it continues to grow, these communities will then get back the revenues that they raised," Smith said.

"I'm really uncomfortable sort of building walls around the city and saying we should keep our share," state Treasurer Tim Cahill said.

Although he has not seen the hard numbers, Smith estimates that Worcester, the state's second-largest city, generates about 15 percent of the state lottery sales, but only gets 4 percent back.

Cahill said pitting cities against suburbs is unfair since most people buy lottery tickets closer to where they work.

"The big cities do generate more revenue, but that is not because those residents spend the money -- it is because the residents all around Worcester and all around Boston come to work and spend the money in those communities," Cahill said.

Even Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Worcester's former mayor, reluctantly conceded he cannot support his hometown colleagues.

"To have 351 separate and distinct lotteries would probably be an issue," he said.

But Smith insisted that bettors would buy accordingly.

"I think as a result of people knowing that those revenues would come back locally, I think that would even enhance people to go out there and be willing to buy lottery tickets," he said.

There have been other unsuccessful attempts to change the lottery formula.