Tennessee ? Even in these tough economic times, many people are feeling lucky.

More than half of all states with lotteries have reported rising sales over the past six months, and some researchers say financial insecurity might be driving people to risk more of their money than usual in hopes of a big payoff.

“Someday somebody is going to win and I hope it is me,” said Albert Atwood of Nashville, who spends $100 weekly playing the Pick 5 and Lotto Plus.

Driven by regulars like Atwood and a growing number of occasional players, 25 of 42 states with lotteries have experienced higher sales of scratch-off and daily lottery games since July, according to Scientific Games, a maker of scratch-offs.