BOSTON (SHNS) – Lottery sales continue to trend upward, but a larger-than-usual amount of prizes claimed last month cut into the increase in profits that steer money toward Massachusetts cities and towns, according to new data.
Figures presented Tuesday by Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken indicate the agency sold about $487.5 million worth of games in April 2023, an increase of $22 million over April 2022. Bracken said that despite the total sales growth, the net profit dropped from $86.4 million in April 2022 to $79.2 million in April 2023 thanks in part to a year-over-year surge of nearly $26 million in prizes.
Sales of instant tickets, which represent the bulk of Lottery games, increased about 7 percent from April 2022 to reach $335.2 million in April 2023, Bracken said. Mega Millions, Lucky for Life and Keno also grew, while numbers games, Mass Cash, Powerball and Megabucks Doubler all saw decreased sales compared to a year earlier.
Altogether, April’s sales put the Lottery — whose leaders want lawmakers to give them permission to expand into the digital sphere — about $190 million ahead of the sales pace through the same stretch of fiscal year 2022, with instant tickets, draw games and monitor games all observing growth.
All profits generated by the Lottery get allocated as local aid to cities and towns.
