SEARCH NEWS:

 

Pennsylvania Lottery Sets Instant Game Sales

MIDDLETOWN, Pennsylvania – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The Pennsylvania Lottery set an instant game sales record for a fifth year in a row, achieving $815,262,736 in sales through May 3, 2004. Sales topped last year's record, $796,596,219, seven weeks and two days before the fiscal year ends on June 30.

"The growth of Lottery's instant games this year reflects retailers' efforts, the variety of games we offer, and a focus on providing more small- to mid-level prizes for players," said Ed Mahlman, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Instant games sales are about 24 percent above last year's sales through the forty-fourth week of the fiscal year. Instant game sales are expected to reach between $980 million and $990 million by the end of the fiscal year. This is the ninth consecutive week that instant games sales have exceeded $20 million per week. Twenty-four of the Lottery's 30 best sales weeks for instant games have occurred during the 2003-04 fiscal year, including the best week ever - $25,820,287 the week of Dec. 16-22, 2003.

Mahlman noted that the sales record was appropriate for the first week of May, as Governor Rendell has dedicated May as 'Older Pennsylvanians Month.' About 37 cents from every Lottery sales dollar is dedicated to funding programs for older residents. Instant games have already generated about $301,647,212 for older Pennsylvanians this fiscal year.

Instant game sales have increased over the past five years as a percentage of total sales, as the table below indicates. Instant games now account for about 41 percent of all Lottery sales.

The Pennsylvania Lottery currently offers 38 instant games, varying in price, concept, method of play and prize structure. New games are introduced each month, and tickets often feature themes keyed to holidays, popular culture and seasons. Three new games, DOUGH IN A ROW ($1), a new WIN FOR LIFE game ($2), and AMAZING 8s ($5), were introduced Tuesday, April 27, 2004.

The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state Lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 32 years ago, the Lottery has contributed more than $13.8 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including 650 full- and part-time senior centers throughout Pennsylvania. The Lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.

< Gaming News