Growth!
The Kentucky Lottery announced that its iLottery Instant Play games had “explosive growth” from July 2020 to May 2021. The KY Lottery said that sales were $105.5 million, up $84.4 million — or 219.7% — compared to the same period a year prior.
Kentucky doesn’t have online sports betting, but it does allow online betting on horse races (and the lottery). Neighboring Indiana eats Kentucky’s sports betting lunch.
The $105.5 million from those online games represented 7.2% of the $1.45 billion in total sales in the period.
COVID-19 good for the lottery
The 2021 fiscal year still needs June’s numbers to be complete, but the KY Lottery reported that sales are already at an all-time high. The pandemic was great for sales, as also experienced elsewhere in the country.
Vice President and Corporate Controller Maggie Garrison said in a news release that fiscal year-to-date sales were up $379.4 million, or 35.3% more than the same period last year.
The KY Lottery sold $1.2 billion in tickets for the entirety of fiscal year 2020.
Scratch-offs sold through brick-and-mortar retailers totaled $880.6 million with one month left to report for FY 2021. Those sales were up $223.9 million, or 34.1%, compared to the same period a year prior.
“The entire board is so pleased at how this fiscal year is shaping up to end,” said board Chairman Mark Sommer. “To continue to set and break records like this in the face of the most challenging of circumstances is nothing short of remarkable. We appreciate and commend the hard and very effective teamwork of our staff and Lottery retailers to make this happen.”
