Iowa Lottery has announced the 2021 fiscal year has broken records for its lottery ticket sales, prize pay-outs to winners and transfers to the state.
According to The Gazette, the preliminary financial report shows sales for the FY2021, ending June 30, totalled $452.6m, a 22% increase on the previous year’s total of $372m.
Prizes won by players in the year also roseto a record of $288.9m, another 22% improvement on the year previous.
The state’s lottery corporation generated a record $101.7m in proceeds to the treasury for the 12-month period.
Lottery CEO, Matt Strawn, commented: “The Iowa Lottery delivered on its promise of responsibly generating revenue for important Iowa causes, even amidst an enormously challenging period.
“Iowans found lottery tickets a safe, local entertainment option as they spent more time at home while navigating a global pandemic.
“The efforts of the Iowa Lottery team and its retail partners were instrumental in safely keeping our operation open for business while exceeding expectations.”
Iowa Lottery attributes the record-breaking year to a spike in scratch-off game sales and two jackpots eclipsing the $700m mark – a record for the lottery. In the weeks leading up to the record-breaking jackpots, sales surged, according to officials.
Despite the successful year, the Hawkeye State lottery considers the year an anomaly due to the pandemic, with a return to normal sales levels expected in FY2022.
“We anticipate that as consumer behavior continues to normalise, Iowa Lottery sales in the coming years will return to more modest growth patterns,” Strawn added.