The latest, of course, is yesterday's sale of the NSW State Lotteries to Tatts Group Limited for more than $1 billion.

Whether the sale is good or bad business is debatable, but before one cent of the money is spent both the State Government and the Coalition must clearly understand two things.

Firstly, they must be diligent in honouring their promise to newsagents, the traditional lottery agents, that no new sellers are appointed for a period of five years.

And secondly, both parties must clearly understand that what was sold is the State Lotteries, not the Sydney Lotteries.

By that we mean the huge windfall coming into the state's coffers should not all be spent in Sydney, or on one project like the proposed north-west rail link, as suggested by Opposition treasury spokesman Mike Baird and his leader Barry O'Farrell.

Treasurer Eric Roozendaal says strengthening the state's balance sheet and looking at frontline services like health and education are his priority.

That's fair enough, but he must spread the cash to regions like the Illawarra, which is desperately in need of funding for health and other important services.