Maybe it’s the New York Lottery that is getting rich.
Fueled by record Mega Millions jackpots, New York’s lottery cracked the $10 billion mark in sales in 2018 — a new state record for a state already with the largest lottery in the nation.
The growth in the jackpots for the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions in recent years has led to a steady increase in revenue to New York’s Lottery system, which uses a portion of the money to fund education.
The $10.2 billion in combined sales for its lottery games and 10 gambling halls with video-lottery terminals last year was a 3.3 percent increase over 2017 and a 12 percent increase since 2015, records from the state Gaming Commission showed.
Mega Million sales nearly doubled in 2018 compared to 2017 because of the interest in the record $1.5 billion drawing last October.
Overall, Mega Million sales in New York hit $512 million compared to $260 million in 2017.
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