Repeated huge jackpots in the Powerball and MegaMillions multistate lottery games helped the Hoosier Lottery hit a new, all-time sales record.

The State Lottery Commission of Indiana announced Thursday the Hoosier Lottery sold an unprecedented $1.75 billion in lottery tickets during the July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, period.

That edged the lottery's prior sales record of $1.74 billion from the 2021 state budget year, when Hoosiers left with few entertainment and gambling options during the early part COVID-19 pandemic turned en masse to scratch-off games for some excitement in their lives.

During the 2023 budget year — with four of the 10 largest lottery prizes in American history on the line — Hoosiers bought massive numbers of Powerball and MegaMillions tickets, even if only for the chance to dream about hitting a potential billion-dollar payday.

Records show Hoosiers spent $259.9 million on so-called big jackpot draw games, which includes the Indiana-only Hoosier Lotto alongside Powerball and MegaMillions, during the recently completed 12-month period.

That was a 40.5% increase compared to big jackpot game sales during the 2022 budget year and 57.1% more than the lottery expected to sell in that category over the course of 2023.

The interest in big jackpot games is continuing in line with the games' unbelievable prizes. When MegaMillions last month soared to $1.58 billion, for example, Hoosiers dropped $11.8 million trying to win it, records show.

Nevertheless, scratch-off games remained the Hoosier Lottery's top-selling item and accounted for $1.31 billion in revenue, or 75% of total ticket sales.

https://www.nwitimes.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/hoosier-lottery-ticket-sales-record/article_9e4fc820-3d2e-11ee-b766-c346aecda37f.html