Massachusetts Lottery Sales Up $1.4 Million Last Month

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, May 28, 2019 (State House News Service) – Massachusetts Lottery sales in April were up $1.4 million compared to last year, a 0.3 percent increase that comes as four instant tickets were introduced and "started out strong," officials said Tuesday.

The state Lottery Commission also plans to release a new $500,000 Bonus Link Cashword on June 18, which will replace the 20X Cashword ticket, officials said. The new ticket, which resembles a crossword, was tested with focus groups, which showed that the linked puzzle was very popular.

"This appeals to a very particular core player, these tickets always sell consistently and usually have good sales across the board on a monthly basis," said executive director Michael Sweeney.

The Lottery has also begun plans for Massachusetts' first National Lottery Week, to take place July 15-21.

The introduction of the weeklong event comes after the success of the first National Lottery Day last year when several promotions were offered, and those tickets then showed increases for the overall year. For example, all Mass Cash tickets purchased on National Lottery Day were entered into a drawing for $500, and then yearly sales for Mass Cash increased 26.2 percent over the previous year.

"The idea of National Lottery Week is to remind people of your mission, and also some of your products," Sweeney said.