Indiana Lottery Scratched-Off Record Sales Over The Past Fiscal Year

Although some Indiana businesses might have experienced an economic slump in recent months, the Hoosier Lottery evidently didn’t fall into that category. Particularly in the scratch-off tickets sector, the revenue has reached its highest level ever.

Between July 2019 and June 2020, scratch-off sales exceeded $1.09 billion, according to the Indiana lottery records. Lottery officials posit that the COVID-19 pandemic may have positively influenced these products’ sales.

A scratch-off frenzy boosts Indiana lottery sales.

Officials from the Hoosier Lottery stated that the $1.09 billion figure exceeded their yearly projections by 10.5%.

Sales from scratch-off games saw a year-on-year increase of 12.1%, which equates to approximately $118.1 million. This contributed to the lottery’s annual sales across all verticals, which reached a total of $1.38 billion.

The total experienced a minor rise from the $1.3 billion recorded in 2019. The all-time high scratch-off sales also resulted in unparalleled winnings for players.

Players amassed approximately two-thirds of sales, translating to $914.2 million in winnings. This figure was 63.8% greater than the previous year’s total, thereby reducing the actual revenue of the lottery.

The state treasury received a record $312 million from the lottery last year. However, this year, the total declined to $304.6 million. Despite record scratch-off sales, another stakeholder did not receive additional revenue.

IGT is in charge of managing lottery games. If the net income in a fiscal year reaches $310 million, the lottery contract stipulates a bonus payment to IGT. However, this year, the income fell slightly short of this target, totaling $309.3 million.

Nevertheless, the record-setting year for scratch-off games bodes well for the lottery, as it persists into the present fiscal year. It could also be seen as a minor positive aspect of the pandemic.

How scratch-off sales actually rose during the pandemic

The closure of brick-and-mortar casinos and the cancellation of sporting events left few gambling options in the Hoosier State for several months. Additionally, the pandemic led to the shutdown of many other entertainment places such as movie theaters.

Furthermore, during the pandemic, retailers selling scratch-off tickets were largely seen as essential businesses and remained open. This, combined with other factors, could be why Indiana residents may have gravitated towards buying scratch-off tickets, as they were essentially the “only game in town.”

The instant-win attributes of scratch-off tickets likely contributed to their popularity and success, even as draw-style games provided by the Multistate Lottery Corporation struggled.

Sales also shifted towards scratch-off games due to reduced jackpots and diminished rolls. For instance, Powerball slashed its initial jackpots by half, and its rolls only increased to a mere 20% of their regular amount.

However, scratch-off tickets appear to be on track to continue compensating for those deficits. The lottery reported that sales in this category during July of this year surpassed expectations by 24%.

Should this trend persist, the Indiana lottery might experience unprecedented sales of scratch-off tickets by the end of this fiscal year. Consequently, state lottery participants could also reap record-breaking winnings.