Massachusetts Lottery Breaks Another Banner Year Record In Final Week Sales

Written By Veronica Sparks on January 19, 2022Last Updated on February 24, 2022
The 2021 Massachusetts Lottery 2021 sales figures are a big win for the state

The Massachusetts Lottery continues to shatter records, with 2021 ending on a high note. In the last week of the year, the lottery achieved an unprecedented milestone by generating a staggering $145,329,765 in sales for all MA Lottery products, setting a new all-time weekly record.

Residents of MA have another reason to celebrate with the recent breaking of state casino revenue records in October.

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

Sales in the last week of the 2021 calendar year started on December 26, 2021, and concluded on January 1, 2022, surpassing the previous record from the week ending on January 16, 2021. The sales figure reached an impressive $145 million, surpassing the previous overall sales record of $139,472,003.

During the previous record-breaking week of January 16, the Mega Millions lottery offered an astounding jackpot of $750 million, while the Powerball lottery presented a substantial jackpot of $639.4 million.

In the last week of 2021, the sales of Powerball tickets amounted to $9,229,340. This surge in sales was driven by a significant increase in the jackpot amount, which reached $500 million for the drawing held on January 1, 2022.

Not only did the MA Lottery break the overall weekly sales record during the last week of 2021, but their instant ticket sales and keno sales also shattered their own individual weekly sales records.

In the final week of 2021, instant ticket sales soared to an impressive $97,880,275, surpassing the previous record of $93,165,630 set during the same week in 2020.

Keno sales for the last week of 2021 achieved a milestone by surpassing $25 million, reaching a total of $25,797,048. This figure came close to the previous weekly sales record of $24,476,399, which was set in the third week of March 2021.

MA Lottery credits the success to their team and customers

The record-breaking success was attributed to the contributions of lottery team members, as stated by Massachusetts Lottery executives and state leadership.

The successful week in the MA Lottery is credited to the analytical and creative approaches implemented by the lottery team, according to Michael Sweeney, the Executive Director.

  • New promotions
  • New ticket development
  • Inventory and distribution management
  • Changes were implemented in operations amidst the pandemic.
  • Enhancements in digital and social media.

Sweeney expressed that the achievements were made possible through teamwork from every department within our organization. Additionally, he expressed immense pride in our team members for their valuable contributions to our accomplishments.

Deborah Goldberg, the State Treasurer of Massachusetts, also expressed her appreciation for the exceptional efforts of team members and customers that led to the remarkable accomplishments during this record-breaking week.

She expressed her gratitude to the lottery team, our retail partners, and above all, our customers for enabling us to accomplish yet another remarkable achievement in terms of performance.

Fiscal 2021 revenue totals for Massachusetts Lottery

In addition to the final week of 2021, the Massachusetts online lottery has recently achieved another significant revenue success.

The MA Lottery’s profits for the 2021 fiscal year reached an impressive $1.112 billion, breaking previous records. This amount exceeded the initial estimate of $1.105 billion projected in July for the fiscal year.

The Lottery achieved its highest ever net profit in its 50-year history during the past year. From July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, the profit surpassed the previous record of $1.104 billion set in fiscal year 2019.

The lottery generated a remarkable $5.829 billion in revenue for the year 2021, surpassing the previous record of $5.509 billion set in fiscal year 2019.

For the seventh consecutive year, Lottery revenues have exceeded a total of $5 billion in 2021.

How does Lottery profit help the state of Massachusetts?

The revenue generated by the MA Lottery provides benefits to both the players and the retailers who sell Lottery products.

In essence, the profits generated are returned to the cities and towns of Massachusetts through local aid, ultimately benefiting the residents. These funds can be utilized by the cities to address various needs within their respective areas, without any restrictions.

The revenue from the Lottery in Fiscal 2021 was divided among:

  • 73.5% of all revenue goes to the players’ winnings.
  • Retailers received a total of $333.3 million in bonuses and commissions.
  • Administrative expenses account for less than 2% of total revenues.
  • There are a total of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, with remaining profits amounting to $1.112 billion.

The Lottery achieved unprecedented success in fiscal 2021, exceeding the amounts distributed to players, retailers, and the 351 cities and towns in MA.

Executive Director Sweeney expressed his utmost satisfaction in providing this crucial funding to every city and town in Massachusetts.

The future of the Lottery in Massachusetts looks bright

In the fiscal year of 2020, the state Lottery experienced a decline in profits amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The total earnings for that period amounted to a mere $986.9 million.

Lottery leadership is eagerly anticipating further success, thanks to the remarkable profits achieved in both the year 2021 and its final calendar week, breaking all previous records.

Profit for the initial five months of fiscal 2022, commencing in July 2021, is surpassing the pace set in fiscal 2021. Presently, this fiscal year has outperformed 2021 by approximately $35.5 million in profits.

During the legislative hearing, Chairwoman Goldberg of the lottery projected that the profits for the fiscal year 2022 would reach approximately $995 million. Furthermore, she expressed her expectation that the profits for the fiscal year 2025 would amount to roughly $1 billion.

Moving forward, Goldberg expresses optimism regarding the revenue generated by the MA Lottery.

She said that despite the difficult business conditions in the past two years, the Lottery has managed to exceed its previous records. She also expressed hope in continuing this success in the current year.