Lottery Sales, Proceeds, Prizes to Players All Set Records

CLIVE, Iowa - The Iowa Lottery released its latest annual results on Thursday, with its sales, proceeds to state causes, prizes to players, and commissions paid to Iowa businesses all setting records in fiscal year 2023.

"Thank you to Iowa Lottery players, retail partners, and the Lottery's hard-working team, who all contributed to producing a record year of sales and proceeds for the good causes in Iowa that rely on lottery sales," said Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn. "Our team never forgets the 'Iowa' part of the Iowa Lottery as we meet our promise to responsibly offer entertaining games, products and promotions to the public. That focus continues to produce unprecedented results for Iowans."

The preliminary figures released Thursday show that the Iowa Lottery generated a record $108.2 million in proceeds to state causes for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Annual lottery sales in FY 2023 were a record $481.5 million, while prizes to players totaled a record $305.3 million. Lottery sales commissions to the local businesses across the state that sell tickets totaled $31.3 million, a record for traditional lottery products.

The unaudited results show that Iowa Lottery sales in FY 2023 increased 11.3 percent from the previous year's total of $432.7 million.

Lottery proceeds to state causes in FY 2023 increased 10.5 percent from the previous year, and prizes to players increased 11.3 percent from the previous year's total. Lottery sales commissions to Iowa businesses increased 10.8 percent from the previous year.

Katie New of Indianola, chair of the Iowa Lottery Board, said she was pleased to see the latest financial results and noted other positives accomplished by the lottery during the year. Those included a record level of statewide awareness messages for National Problem Gambling Awareness Month, achievement of key performance measures for lottery security checks at retail locations, and annual operating expenses that were well below budget.

New, a CPA who is the controller at Ellipsis in Des Moines, also noted that the lottery's year included announcement of a clean audit for FY 2022 from the State Auditor's Office.

"As a citizen Board member, it's important to me to see the positive impact that the Iowa Lottery, its staff and retailers have achieved for our state," New said. "As an Iowa resident, I recognize and appreciate the lottery team's public-mindedness in producing results for the good causes supported by lottery proceeds."

The lottery's FY 2023 results were positively impacted by two main factors: a rebound in sales of scratch games and significant jackpots in national lotto games.

The jackpots in Mega Millions^® and Powerball^® simultaneously topped the $400 million mark in October 2022, with the Powerball prize continuing to grow to $2.04 billion for that game's drawing on Nov. 7, 2022. That is the world record for a lottery prize.

The simultaneous huge jackpots generated a corresponding surge in sales in both games.

Lotto America, a smaller multi-state game than Powerball and Mega Millions, also saw a sales surge for the year. Its jackpot reached $40.04 million, a record for that game, in its drawing on April 1, 2023. A Dubuque man won the jackpot that night.

Sales of scratch games, which have always been the Iowa Lottery's leading product, rebounded in FY 2023 after falling the previous year amid surging fuel prices and inflationary pressures. Increased fuel costs historically have had the most direct impact on the sale of scratch games among the lottery's products.

As fuel prices and other economic pressures eased in FY 2023 and new games were introduced, scratch-ticket sales gradually rebounded in Iowa. The product category finished the year up slightly, with scratch-ticket sales representing about 61 percent of total Iowa Lottery annual sales.

A highlight for FY 2023 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 $37.4 million for the Veterans Trust Fund since it began providing proceeds to that cause in 2008.

The lottery also provided proceeds during the year to the Public Safety Survivor Benefits Fund and Department of Corrections Survivor Benefits Fund, which help with ongoing 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 lottery sales by product:

 
The Top 10 retailers in Iowa for lottery sales in FY 2023 were in five different communities:

Eleven Iowa Lottery prizes of at least $500,000 were won during FY 2023. A $1 million Mega Millions prize won in September 2022 in Ames remains unclaimed. The other 10 prize winners were (listed by prize amount and claim date):

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