Massachusetts Lottery Nearing Record Sales Year Thanks To Keno, Powerball

Image showing lottery gaming with a lotto ticket and cash along with the Massachusetts Lottery logo for a story about the MA Lottery having a record sales pace this year despite a slow May.

Despite a drop in sales for May, the Massachusetts Lottery looks set for a record fiscal year.

Rallying behind strong performances from Keno and lottery draw games like Powerball, the state is $40.7 million ahead of last year’s sales pace with three weeks of data remaining for FY24.

In FY23, Massachusetts recorded $6.131 billion in sales. Currently, the state is 0.7% ahead of that, with $5.771 billion through 49 weeks.

This comes after the Massachusetts Lottery Commission reported $576.2 million in sales for May on Tuesday. That was a 4.3% drop from May 2023, which produced $602.4 million.

Powerball, Keno sales up over $65 million in Massachusetts

As has been the trend in a number of states, Massachusetts is seeing a decline in instant ticket sales this fiscal year.

The state has sold $3.773 billion in instant tickets in FY24 according to its report. That makes up 65.4% of the total lottery sales for the year. At this point last year, Massachusetts had $3.785 billion in instant sales.

What is helping rectify that loss and leading the state to growth is Powerball and Keno.

Powerball, one of the popular multistate draw games in the US, was a major sales force for many states in FY24.

With large jackpots throughout the year, Powerball tickets have outperformed FY23 across the board. In Massachusetts, it has generated $207.3 million in sales for FY24. That’s $45.1 million ahead of last year’s pace, a 27.8% increase.

That game alone accounts for the overall year-to-year sales difference in the state.

Keno has helped overcome the instant sales struggles, as well. This year it accounts for $1.169 billion, just over 20% of the state’s total purchases. It is up $20.1 million from FY23 thus far.

Here’s a look at all the different Massachusetts Lottery game sales for the year and how they compare to FY23:

  • Instant tickets: $3.773 billion, down 0.3%
  • Keno: $1.169 billion, up 1.7%
  • Numbers Game: $311.1 million, down 3%
  • Powerball: $207.3 million, up 27.8%
  • Mega Millions: $140.9 million, down 8.6%
  • Mass Cash: $78.6 million, even
  • Lucky for Life: $44.3 million, up 5.2%
  • Megabucks: $24.2 million, up 33.1%
  • Wheel of Luck: $19.2 million, up 12.9%
  • Holiday Raffle: $3.8 million, n/a FY23

July promotions hoping to boost MA Lottery instant sales

Fiscal year 2024 will conclude just before the end of June.

The Massachusetts Lottery is looking to jump into FY25 with a strong performance for its instant ticket sales.

To do that, it is kicking off July with a pair of promotions aimed at boosting the product.

The first is a promotion to coincide with National Lottery Week, which runs July 14-20.

State lottery customers who play $5 or more on a single The Wheel of Luck, The Numbers Game, or Mass Cash ticket during that time could win a free $1 Quic Pic. That promotion will run July 15-21.

Massachusetts is also running a special deal alongside Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week.”

From July 15-28, all registered Massachusetts Lottery player account holders will have a chance to win cash prizes in their JAWS “Bonus Bite” promo.

Every non-winning $10 JAWS instant ticket that gets entered through the state lottery app or website will earn an entry into a second-chance drawing.

There, a total of $20,000 in prizes will be selected:

  • 20 $500 prizes
  • 50 $100 prizes
  • 100 $50 prizes

 

Photo by vita pakhai via Shutterstock
Graphic from the Massachusetts Lottery

About the Author

Drew Ellis

Drew Ellis

Lead Writer
A member of Catena Media since 2020, Drew Ellis is the Lead Writer at PlayiLottery, where he handles coverage of the online lottery industry in the US. He previously spearheaded news content at PlayMichigan, where he covered one of the most prominent online lottery industries in the US — among the many other aspects of Michigan's sprawling iGaming market. You can email him at [email protected].
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