The Kentucky Lottery Corporation’s board of directors announced strong sales in the month of May have helped get the KLC back on track to meet budgeted sales amounts for the year.
According to Interim Chief Operating Officer Maggie Garrison, May sales were $132.1 million, which is $33.7 million or 31.9 percent more than budgeted. “This was led by increases in our Scratch-off ticket sales, which jumped 46 percent or $29.4 million more than expected,” Garrison said. Total Scratch-off sales for the month were $93 million.
Garrison added the daily Pick 3 and Pick 4 draw games also saw significant increases, with Pick 3 exceeding budget by $4.7 million (36.5 percent) and Pick 4 finishing the month with $1.5 million more in sales than budgeted (38.6 percent). Total iLottery sales continued to exceed prior year and budget and even increased 25 percent from April.
Garrison said June sales are on track to be another strong month.
“Through April our sales were $57 million behind budget, as the initial weeks of the pandemic were experienced,” said Interim President and CEO Marty Gibbs. “Opportunities for discretionary spend were limited and lottery products were available, which led to a significant rebound in May.”
Gibbs said the Lottery took steps in March to suspend all product advertising and shut down Keno monitors in retailers across the Commonwealth, and that these elements had been put back into place in the last few weeks.
In other business, the board approved a two-month bridge operating budget for July and August, along with rules and regulations for six scratch-off tickets, and new or amended rules for 19 Instant Play games.
The next meeting of the KLC’s board of directors will be Aug. 20. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and will be held at the KLC headquarters at 1011 West Main Street in Louisville. The audit committee meeting will begin at 8 a.m. as well as the procurement committee at 9 a.m.
From Kentucky Lottery Corporation
