Massachusetts Lottery Breaks Another Banner Year Record In Final Week Sales

After setting records in overall lottery profits for 2021, the Massachusetts Lottery has broken another record. The last week of the 2021 calendar year brought in an all-time weekly sales record of $145,329,765 for all MA Lottery products.

Following records broken for the state’s casino revenue in October, this is another win for residents of MA.

A fiscal breakdown for MA Lottery’s last week of 2021

The final week of the 2021 calendar year began Sunday, December 26, 2021, and ended January 1, 2022. Sales reached over $145 million, surpassing the previous overall sales record of week-ending January 16, 2021, of $139,472,003.

The previous record-holding week of January 16 saw a jackpot for Mega Millions at $750 million and a Powerball jackpot at $639.4 million.

Powerball sales for the final week of 2021 were $9,229,340. The high number of sales resulted from a jackpot that rose to $500 million for the drawing on January 1, 2022.

Overall weekly sales weren’t the only record broken for the MA Lottery the last week of 2021. Instant ticket sales and keno sales also broke their previous individual weekly sales records.

Instant ticket sales reached $97,880,275 for the last week of 2021. This total easily surpassed the previous record of $93,165,630 set the same week in 2020.

Keno sales came in closer to its previous weekly sales record of $24,476,399 recorded for the third week of March in 2021. The last week of 2021 for keno sales reached $25,797,048, which is the first time that sales surpassed $25 million.

MA Lottery credits the success to their team and customers

According to Massachusetts Lottery executives and state leadership, lottery team members contributed to the record-breaking success.

Michael Sweeney. Executive Director of the MA Lottery, attributes the successful week to the analytical and creative approaches of the lottery team in areas like:

• New promotions
• New ticket development
• Inventory and distribution management
• Operational adjustments made during the pandemic
• Digital and social media enhancements.

“These accomplishments are the result of a collaborative effort across all areas of our organization,” Sweeney said. “And I am extremely proud of our team members for their contributions to our success,”

Deborah Goldberg, Massachusetts State Treasurer, also praised team members and customers for their contribution to the record-breaking week.

“Thanks to the lottery team, our retail partners, and most importantly, our customers,” she said. “We have been able to achieve another record setting performance.”

Fiscal 2021 revenue totals for Massachusetts Lottery

The final week of 2021 wasn’t the only recent revenue success for the Massachusetts online lottery.

Records also fell with MA Lottery’s $1.112 billion in profits for the 2021 fiscal year. This record surpassed the original estimate of $1.105 billion made in July for the fiscal year.

This past year brought in the highest net profit in the Lottery’s history, spanning 50 years overall. Profit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2021 topped the previous record set in fiscal year 2019, which was $1.104 billion.

Lottery revenue came in at record highs for 2021 at $5.829 billion. This surpassed the previously held record in fiscal year 2019 of $5.509 billion.

2021 marks the seventh year in a row that Lottery revenues have surpassed $5 billion overall.

How does Lottery profit help the state of Massachusetts?

MA Lottery revenue benefits both players and retailers selling Lottery products.

Overall profits, however, are given back to cities and towns of Massachusetts in the form of local aid to benefit residents. Those cities can use profits liberally for any needs in their area.

Fiscal 2021 Lottery revenue were split between:

• Players’ winnings (73.5% of all revenue)
• Retailers ($333.3 million in bonuses and commissions)
• Administrative costs (less than 2% of revenues overall)
• 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts (remaining profits of $1.112 billion)

With record-breaking success in fiscal 2021, the Lottery also surpassed the totals distributed to players, retailers, and the 351 cities and towns in MA.

“We are very pleased to be able to produce this critical funding for all cities and towns across Massachusetts.” Executive Director Sweeney said.

The future of the Lottery in Massachusetts looks bright

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the state Lottery saw a dip in overall profits in the fiscal year for 2020. Profits during that year totaled only $986.9 million.

With the record-breaking profits of both 2021 and the final calendar week of 2021, Lottery leadership is looking forward to more success.

The first five months of fiscal 2022, which began in July of 2021, is running above profit pace compared to fiscal 2021. So far, this fiscal year is currently ahead of 2021 by around $35.5 million in profits.

Lottery chairwoman Goldberg told lawmakers that lottery profits in the 2022 fiscal year are expected to be around $995 million. She also said she anticipates roughly $1 billion in profits for the 2023 fiscal year.

Goldberg is optimistic when it comes to MA Lottery revenue moving forward.

“Despite a challenging business environment over the last two years, the Lottery has been able to surpass previous records set,” she said. “And we hope to build upon on that success this year.”