Powerball, Mega Millions a ‘saving grace’ for Massachusetts Lottery

By Chris Lisinski, State Home Information Service

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, DECEMBER 27, 2022 (State Home Information Service) – A file Powerball jackpot proved to be a windfall not only for the successful ticket-holder, however for the Massachusetts Lottery, too.

After months of sluggish gross sales, the newest fiscal year-to-date determine of $2.55 billion in Mass. Lottery merchandise offered is just about $11.6 million — or one half of 1 proportion level — behind the identical stretch throughout fiscal yr 2022, Lottery Interim Government Director Mark William Bracken stated throughout a Tuesday assembly of the Lottery Fee.

The hole between this yr’s gross sales and final yr’s has closed significantly up to now couple of months from greater than $60 million reported by means of the top of September, however that is perhaps an outlier fueled by the greater than $2 billion Powerball jackpot that attracted swaths of gamers.

In November 2022, the Massachusetts Lottery offered about $58.6 million in Powerball tickets, reflecting $48.9 million greater than November 2021, or a roughly sixfold improve.

The one different Lottery video games with significant gross sales will increase from November 2021 to November 2022 had been Mega Hundreds of thousands, which offered $4.3 million or 85 p.c extra, and Keno, which offered $1.3 million or 1.1 p.c extra.

Immediate tickets, which make up nearly all of all Lottery gross sales, have fared extra poorly. The Lotto offered $11.2 million much less in prompt tickets final month than in November 2021, a 3 p.c drop. For the reason that begin of fiscal yr 2023, the Lotto has offered near $1.63 billion price of prompt tickets, which is $87.6 million or 5.1 p.c behind the tempo set throughout the identical interval final yr.

Bracken referred to as Powerball and Mega Hundreds of thousands the Lottery’s “saving grace” amid slowdowns in different gross sales.

Officers are hopeful, in the meantime, {that a} brand-new, record-breaking sport will assist drive new curiosity. The Lottery will launch its first-ever $50 scratch ticket, titled “Billion Greenback Extravaganza,” on Feb. 7.

Altogether, the sport will provide greater than $1 billion in complete winnings, headlined by three $25 million prime prizes which can be the most important the Massachusetts Lottery has ever included on an prompt ticket. The sport can even characteristic 5 $2 million prizes and 15 prizes price $1 million.

“This would be the greatest probability to win $500 and $1,000 within the historical past of the Massachusetts Lottery,” Bracken stated.

Officers say the $50 ticket’s 82 p.c prize payout is the very best proportion of any sport the state lottery has ever provided, and the minimal prize shall be $100, which means each winner will do higher than breaking even on a single ticket.

The priciest prompt ticket the Lottery sells now prices gamers $30.

Bracken stated officers are “very, very excited to be becoming a member of the 14 or 15 or so different states that have already got a $50 value level out available in the market.”

“It is one thing that our gamers and our brokers inform us time and time once more, nearly in each single focus group, ‘Why have you ever not launched the $50 ticket?’ We by no means thought it was the fitting time,” he stated.

Mass. Lottery Chief Advertising Officer Edward Farley stated the company “actually turned this ticket the other way up” workshopping it earlier than its launch.

“Because the Lottery’s fiftieth anniversary celebration approaches the top, what higher time to introduce the $50 ticket to start our subsequent 50 years!” added Treasurer Deborah Goldberg in an announcement. “Our clients had been requesting this ticket for a while. After cautious consideration, the Lottery has what we imagine will present them with the completely new degree of pleasure they’ve been in search of.”

The fee initiatives that the Lottery will promote greater than $1.5 billion in “Billion Greenback Extravaganza” video games, which might generate greater than $150 million in web revenue, which will get returned to all 351 cities and cities as unrestricted native help.

December featured one other Lottery milestone, too. Through the first week of the month, it surpassed $50 million in claims cashed by means of the Massachusetts Lottery cellular app, which launched in September 2021.