Huge Jackpots Spur 50% Rise in Lottery Sales

SACRAMENTO —  Big jackpots in recent months have lifted California Lottery sales to a record $2.1 billion for the fiscal year that ended June 30, Lottery Director Chon Gutierrez said Wednesday.

That was 50% higher than the previous year’s total, and also above the $1.75 billion that had been projected, he said.

The public school share of the year’s sales is $750 million, compared with $504 million received in the 1986-87 fiscal year.

Gutierrez credited the increase to expansion of the computerized Lotto 6/49 game, which paid jackpots of $25 million and higher after twice-a-week drawings began last September.

“Large weekly jackpots, which produced 84 millionaires during the course of the year, boosted our on-line sales from $380 million in the previous fiscal year to about $1.2 billion in the just completed fiscal year,” he said.

Lotto accounted for almost $84 million during a $100-million Lottery sales week in early June, when the Lotto jackpot reached a record $51.4 million.

Gutierrez said instant game sales for the year totaled about $900 million, also higher than projected. The “Big Spin” televised show produced 36 millionaires, he said.