MARSHALL — The Minnesota Lottery will no longer have an office in southwest Minnesota.

The Marshall regional office recently announced the state lottery would close permanently on Friday.

A lottery spokesperson said this week that it no longer made financial sense to keep the Marshall regional office. The remaining three regional offices in Owatonna, Detroit Lakes and Virginia could adequately support the lottery’s sales team, said Emily Frost, public affairs strategist with the Minnesota Lottery.

“Lottery dollars benefit all Minnesotans, so we do our best to find cost savings while still providing excellent service to our retailers and players,” Frost said.

The regional lottery offices serve as places where lottery winners can claim prizes. However, Frost said the Marshall office processed a small number of prize claims, and the number has declined over the past several years. Last year, there were 227 prize claims at the Marshall office, and almost half of those claims were for prizes that could have been claimed at local lottery retailers, she said.

“We encourage our players to support their local lottery retailers because they earn commission on all tickets redeemed at their business,” Frost said.

Lottery prizes of up to $599 can be claimed at any lottery retailer, or by mail, Frost said.

The Marshall regional lottery office also had the fewest sales representatives based out of it, at two, Frost said. Those employees would relocate to other regional offices, and a third position would be eliminated within the lottery, she said.

Minnesota’s state constitution and laws determine how lottery proceeds are used. Currently, 60% of the proceeds go to the state general fund, according to the Minnesota Lottery’s online FAQ. The remaining 40% of proceeds goes to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust fund, which finances environment and natural resources projects across Minnesota.