The New York State Gaming Commission announced that New York Lottery sales and winnings from video lottery terminal games brought in a combined total of $9.69 billion in revenue for the fiscal year that ended March 31.
The number smashed all previous years’ records and the New York Lottery earned a record total of $3.3 billion for distribution to all school districts in the state.
This represents a 5.8 percent increase in total revenue over the 2014-2015 fiscal year
“On all metrics, the New York Lottery continues to be the most profitable lottery on the continent and underscores the success of New York’s smart gaming policies,” said Robert Williams, the executive director of the Gaming Commission, which oversees all gambling in New York state. “This is great news for taxpayers and students across the state, as it provides New Yorkers a fun and exciting way to give back to their communities.”
Traditional lottery games grew by 6.2 percent with a record $7.7 billion in sales last fiscal year. That beats the previous year’s $7.25 billion. This encompasses draw games such as Mega Millions, Powerball, Cash 4 Life, Lotto, Numbers, Win 4, Take Five, Pick 10, Quick Draw and Instant Games.
Draw game sales grew to $3.79 billion in fiscal year 2015-2016 from $3.49 billion in 2014-2015, an increase of 8.6 percent.
Instant games, known as “scratch-offs” grew to $3.91 billion in FY 2015/16 from $3.76 billion in 2014/15, an increase of 4 percent.
The net win from video lottery terminals — the slot machine-type games in racinos across the state —shot up 4.3 percent with a record $1.98 billion in fiscal year 2015-2016, which tops the $1.9 billion generated in 2014-2015.
Resorts World Casino New York City and Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway both brought in approximately $30 million more over the prior year — a 3.7 percent and 5.7 percent increase, respectively). Upstate VLT facilities grew by a total of $21 million, highlighted by Batavia Downs’ 10.7 percent growth over the prior year.
New York Lottery and VLT revenue is distributed to local school districts by the same statutory formula used to distribute other state aid to education. It takes into account both a school district’s size and its income level; larger, lower-income school districts receive proportionately larger shares of Lottery school funding. The Lottery’s contribution represents 14 percent of total state education aid to local school districts.
