The regional employees of the Ohio Lottery Commission exchanged their business suits for sweat suits last weekend as they moved their office from Marietta to Athens.

Located in the HDL center on West Union Street, the new office is home to three administrators and 11 sales representatives. It is one of nine regional commission offices in Ohio.

The commission finished moving Monday, said Nancy Couladis, region 6 manager for the Ohio Lottery Commission.

The commission retained all its employees from its Marietta office and probably will not hire any local workers, she said.

Region 6 consists of 14 counties, two of which were added within the past year. The commission's Athens location will serve Lawrence, Galya, Jackson, Meigs, Vinton, Athens, Hocking, Morgan, Perry, Monroe, Noble, Bellmont, Washington and Gruncy counties, she said.

Couladis said the commission moved the office because of Athens' prime location among the counties it covers.

In addition to the location, the office is also larger, which will the help the employees handle the commission's increased agent base. The Athens office is now the headquarters for sales representatives in the region.

When lottery tickets come in from the commission's headquarters in Cleveland, representatives must distribute them in the region. They also deal with the promotional devices the commission uses to gain players, Couladis said.

One local business affected by the move is Peoples Bank, 152 W. Union St. As the only bank chain in region 6 that is allowed to cash lottery prizes, its Athens branch is now one of the three regional cashing locations.

Peoples Bank employee Larry Smith said the bank started cashing prizes in Athens on Oct. 1. "We do anything from $600 to $5,000," Smtih said.

The 25-year-old commission makes about $2 billion in sales each year.

The commission is required to transfer 30 percent of its profits toward education. At least 50 percent must be returned to its customers in the form of prizes.