When all is said and done, the North Carolina Education Lottery will have paid $61,000 to hire a Massachusetts marketing firm to conduct an advertising survey, according to invoices from the NCEL (pdf download).

The NCEL has already spent $19,800 on the survey and will pay the remainder of the balance in the coming months. The lottery paid the invoices through its public relations agency, the Charlotte-based Wray Ward.

According to the NCEL, the survey was commissioned in response to a performance audit (pdf download) in April 2008, which suggested the NCEL ?should establish ongoing operational and market research to identify industry best practices, reduce costs, and improve operations.”

As discussed on this form in the past, Gov. Bev Perdue is taking some heat for plans to transfer a chunk of lottery revenues, supposed to be used for education, to the general fund. In response, lawmakers have introduced a bill that would nix the word ?education? from the lottery?s official title.