For the second year, the Kansas Lottery has set a record for the amount of revenue transferred to the state.
The amount transferred in fiscal year 2016 is $78.2 million. That includes $1.66 million in transfers from the sale of Kansas Lottery Veterans games.
The $78.2 million fiscal year 2016 transfer is $3.2 million more than last year’s record transfer of $75.02 million, and $2 million more than the original transfer goal set by the Kansas Legislature for the period July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
“I am tremendously proud of this accomplishment by the Kansas Lottery Team and our great network of Lottery retailers,” said Kansas Lottery Executive Director Terry Presta, in a news release. “We also want to say a big ‘thank you’ to our players, who are enjoying more fun and excitement playing lottery games.”
“We were able to increase our original transfer goal because of the record $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot and accompanying record Kansas Powerball sales last January,” Presta said. “That additional revenue, combined with continued growth in instant ticket sales, proved to be a winning combination for the Kansas Lottery this year.”
Presta expressed his gratitude for the hard work of Kansas Lottery retailers who served long lines of excited players during the January Powerball run. He also recognized the willingness of retailers to work with the Kansas Lottery in taking advantage of industry trends, such as selling tickets with higher price points and installing larger dispensers.
“For the first time, two of our retailers sold more than $1 million in lottery tickets in a single year,” Presta added. “That represents a strong commitment by these stores and hundreds of others in the state, to partner with the Lottery to increase their bottom line.”
Examples of some of the new instant products the Kansas Lottery launched this past year include an oversized $10 Super Ticket, the second edition of the X-Games family of tickets selling at five price points, the $2 Zombie Adventure scratch game in which players can instantly win a Motoped in addition to cash prizes, and interactive games and promotions in which players can enjoy additional play online.
There are approximately 1,760 Lottery retailers throughout the state. Retailers earn commissions on tickets they sell and prizes claimed at their store, as well as bonuses for selling tickets that win jackpots and other large prizes. The two $1 million stores Presta mentioned are Lonestar 23 in Salina and Express Corner 2 in Garden City.
Total Kansas Lottery sales for fiscal year 2016 won’t be tabulated until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, but Presta said total sales for the year will also set an all-time record. Sales in fiscal year 2015 were a record-breaking $250 million.