The North Dakota Lottery announced that it sold $35.3 million in tickets for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019—up 12 percent from the previous fiscal year, which had been the second-highest in the lottery’s history, following sales of $35.7 million in 2016.
Lottery Director Randy Miller said large jackpots helped boost ticket sales, such as a $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot in 2019. A total of $14.2 million in prizes was paid out to players, up from $9 million the previous fiscal year, Miller said.
The state received $9.3 million in lottery profits in fiscal 2019, up from $8.3 million in fiscal 2018. Most lottery profits go to the state treasury; smaller amounts are directed to problem gambling services, which received $320,000 in each of the past two years, and to drug enforcement, which received $422,500.
Miller said Powerball has been the state’s most popular game since the lottery began in 2004, following a successful ballot initiative to amend the North Dakota constitution. The state lottery also offers Mega Millions, 2by2, Lucky For Life and Lotto America.
In the last fiscal year, Miller said unclaimed prizes totaled about $696,500, including a $100,000 Powerball ticket. Those prizes have expired.
Overall expenses rose from $23 million to $26 million due to the increase in ticket sales, Miller said. Besides prize payouts, the lottery’s largest cost last year was $3.7 million paid in commissions to Scientific Games International Inc., which supplies and services the lottery’s sales terminals. The Georgia-based company takes a commission of about 10 cents for every lottery ticket sold.
The lottery also paid a total of $1.75 million to the 450 North Dakota merchants who sell tickets. They receive five cents for every one-dollar ticket sold.
