Massachusetts Lottery sales up 8%

Sales pace of 2021 indicates a record year may be at hand.

Times are good for the Massachusetts Lottery. Both sales and estimated profit were up nearly $34m for the month of September, an 8% improvement over the year before. With profits on almost every product exceeding 2020’s numbers, it looks like this Bay State institution is in for another record-breaking year. 

Altogether, the Lottery saw $455.4m in sales over the course of the month. It is not an aberration: now three months into the fiscal year, numbers are up 6.6% over the same period last year ($97.7m).  

Lottery executive Director Michael Sweeney pinpointed causes that were driving sales upward: Keno (which saw a $16.4m sales increase) has benefitted from the fact that there are more bars and restaurants open than at the same time last year; as well, Mega Millions and Powerball sales have (a $19.6m increase) have benefitted from significantly larger jackpots. 

With the rate at which it is currently moving, the Lottery is expected to exceed last year’s record-breaking numbers when, after $5.8bn in revenue, there was an estimated profit of $1.1bn. 

The only three products that did not fare as well as the year before were instant tickets. Mass Cash, and Megabucks Doubler. On the whole, scratch tickets were down and are expected to stay down due to the fact that the holiday season is approaching. Usually, scratch tickets make up more than two-thirds of business for the Lottery. Last month, they were down 1.1% for a total of $3.4m, and over the entire year they have been down 0.8% for a total of $8m.  

Cameron Saunders

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