FY 2021 Results: Iowa Lottery Proceeds Top $100 Million for First Time
Lottery Sales, Proceeds, Prizes to Players All Set Records
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CLIVE, Iowa - The Iowa Lottery released its annual results on Wednesday, with its sales, proceeds to state causes, prizes to players, and commissions paid to Iowa retailers all setting records in fiscal year 2021.
"The Iowa Lottery delivered on its promise of responsibly generating revenue for important Iowa causes, even amidst an enormously challenging period," said Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn. "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."
The preliminary figures released Wednesday show that the Iowa Lottery generated a record $101.7 million in proceeds to state causes for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Annual lottery sales in FY 2021 were a record $452.6 million, while prizes to players totaled a record $288.9 million. Lottery sales commissions to the retail locations that sell tickets totaled $29.7 million, also a record for traditional lottery products.
Josh Cook of Ankeny, chair of the Iowa Lottery Board, said he was pleased to see the lottery's financial results and noted other positives for the lottery during the year. Those included statewide awareness messages for National Problem Gambling Awareness Month and support for public health initiatives designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Cook, who is the chief executive of a leading Iowa credit union, also noted that the lottery received a clean audit from the State Auditor's Office, and had annual operating expenses well below budget.
"This was a year of adjustment and adaptation for the Iowa Lottery as it was for us all," Cook said. "As a citizen Board member, it has been gratifying to see the integrity, public-mindedness and Iowa work ethic actively demonstrated by the lottery and the local businesses that sell its products."
The unaudited results released Wednesday show that Iowa Lottery sales in FY 2021 increased nearly 22 percent from the previous year's total of $372 million.
Lottery proceeds to state causes in FY 2021 increased nearly 25 percent from the previous year, and prizes to players increased 22 percent from the previous year's total.
The lottery's FY 2021 results were positively impacted by two main factors: a spike in scratch ticket sales and two significant jackpots in national lotto games.
The jackpots in Mega Millions® and Powerball® simultaneously topped the $700 million mark for the first time in January, with the Mega Millions prize in particular growing to more than $1 billion, the second-largest prize in the history of that game. The twin huge prizes generated a corresponding surge in sales in both games.
Scratch-ticket sales in Iowa, which have set annual records each year since FY 2015, did so again in FY 2021, totaling $316.9 million. That is an increase of $54.5 million from the previous year's total for that product.
Strawn noted that the lottery's robust sales results in FY 2021 were likely an outlier driven by the unique circumstances of changing consumer behavior in the midst of a public health emergency.
"We anticipate that as consumer behavior continues to normalize, Iowa Lottery sales in the coming years will return to more modest growth patterns," he said.
A highlight for FY 2021 was the $2.5 million the lottery raised for the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund to benefit the state's veterans and their families. The lottery now has raised nearly $32.4 million for the Veterans Trust Fund since it began providing proceeds to that cause in 2008. In FY 2021, the lottery also provided proceeds to both the Public Safety Survivor Benefits Fund and Department of Corrections Survivor Benefits Fund, which help with insurance costs for the families of Iowa peace officers, fire fighters and corrections employees who die in the line of duty.
Here is a year-to-year comparison of annual sales by lottery product:
| Product | FY 2021 Sales | FY 2020 Sales |
|---|
| Scratch games | $316.9 million | $262.4 million |
| InstaPlay games | $23.5 million | $16.3 million |
| Pick 3 | $9.5 million | $8.5 million |
| Powerball | $43.4 million | $36.4 million |
| Mega Millions | $29 million | $20.4 million |
| Pick 4 | $5.5 million | $5 million |
| Lucky for Life | $5.5 million | $5.3 million |
| Lotto America | $6.4 million | $6.8 million |
| Pull-tab games | $12.8 million | $10.8 million |
The Top 10 retailers in Iowa for lottery sales in FY 2021 were in six different communities:
| Retailer | Address | City | FY 2021 Sales |
|---|
| Jiffy | 111 S. Third Ave. | Marshalltown | $1,309,725.50 |
| Hy-Vee | 1843 Johnson Ave NW | Cedar Rapids | $1,116,374 |
| Jiffy | 3718 SW Ninth St | Des Moines | $1,088,180.50 |
| Hy-Vee Drugstore | 1520 Sixth St. SW | Cedar Rapids | $951,330.50 |
| Hy-Vee | 20 Wilson Ave | Cedar Rapids | $917,596.50 |
| Hy-Vee | 2540 E Euclid Ave | Des Moines | $873,377 |
| Porter's Convenient 66 | 1512 Lincoln Way | Clinton | $869,701 |
| Mad Ave Quik Shop | 405 S Madison Ave | Ottumwa | $803,870.50 |
| Midtown | 1100 E. Fifth St | Storm Lake | $783,134 |
| Albia Road BP | 1340 Albia Road | Ottumwa | $781,818 |
Five Iowa Lottery players won prizes of at least $500,000 during FY 2021:
| Winner | City | Game | Prize | Claim Date |
|---|
| Anton Garrett | Waterloo | Powerball | $2 million | May 10, 2021 |
| Karen Kramer | Urbana | Mega Millions | $1 million | June 10, 2021 |
| Eugene Dice | Sergeant Bluff | Powerball | $500,000 | Feb. 24, 2021 |
| Gayle Fraker | Clinton | Powerball | $500,000 | July 20, 2020 |
| Tu Kha Maung | Waterloo | Powerball | $500,000 | July 10, 2020 |
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