The New York State Lottery and its 9 racinos grew 5% between 2015 and 2016. A large reason for this sizable increase was the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot. Powerball sales grew by 77%, totalling $537 million in sales.
Both Quick Draw (Fast Keno) grew by 7%, while instant tickets also grew. Five of the nine racinos also posted increases in sales, Batavia Downs, Finger Lakes and Empire City. Overall, racinos grew by over 3%.
The state is in the middle of adding four full-scale casinos: Tioga Downs opened last month; one in Schenectady and one in Finger Lakes are set to open next month, and a new casino in Catskills is scheduled to open next year.
In total, the New York Lottery’s lottery revenue totaled $9.8 billion.