The New Jersey Lottery Commission held its July Commission meeting today and announced its results for the Fiscal Year that ended on June 30, 2020.
The Lottery had sales of $3.2 billion and contributed $937 million in revenue to the State. Sales were down 7.7% compared to the prior year.
The results are unaudited figures and the total amount of the final contribution to the State will increase when the Lottery's Fiscal Year 2020 financial audit is complete.
In Fiscal Year 2019, the New Jersey Lottery benefited from high jackpots in the multistate games Powerball and Mega Millions, resulting in record sales.
Sales for both games were down significantly this year compared to the prior year, and were further impacted as both games reduced starting jackpots from $40 million to $20 million because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on sales in March and April, although sales bounced back in May and June.
The State will not make an incentive payment to Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group, the sales and marketing vendor of the Lottery.
In May 2019, the Department of the Treasury and the Lottery entered into an amended service agreement with Northstar, which is projected to save approximately $100 million over the life of the contract.
Based on the terms of the agreement and how compensation is calculated under the agreement, Northstar will be paid for expenses but will not earn an incentive payment for the year.
It is anticipated that Northstar will make a shortfall payment to the State, which will become part of the Lottery’s contribution to the Pension fund, but the amount will not be determined until the Lottery's financial audit is complete.
“I am proud of what the Lottery has been able to achieve this year. We are living in unprecedented times and I want to thank all of those who had a hand in getting the job done. I thank our retailers and other partners for being adaptable and maintaining operations under difficult circumstances.
I thank our players for their continued loyalty. And, importantly, I also thank our valued team for being flexible, creative and vigilant, all the while ensuring the integrity of the games,” said the Lottery’s Executive Director James A. Carey, Jr.
“Witnessing all of us pulling together during this trying time shows our commitment to each other and what it means to be Jersey strong.”
The Lottery generated $937 million in profits, which are dedicated to bolstering New Jersey's public employee pension system for teachers, police, fire personnel, and other public employees.
Players took home $1.97 billion in winnings from the Lottery's draw and Scratch-Off games. A player from Middlesex County won the February 11, 2020 Mega Millions jackpot of $202 million.
A player from Middlesex County won the April 8, 2020 Powerball jackpot of $190 million. Seven players won second tier prizes of $1 million or more from Powerball or Mega Millions.
Three players hit the Pick-6 jackpot, and another 30 players won $500,000 or more from Scratch-Offs or Jersey Cash 5. And our 7,204 retailers earned over $180 million in commissions.
The Lottery is the State’s fifth largest individual revenue producer benefiting the residents of New Jersey.
Since its inception in 1970, the Lottery has contributed over $29 billion to the State, helping to support many worthwhile programs and services and helping to bolster the public employee pension system for teachers, police and fire personnel and other public employees under a 30-year agreement signed into law in 2017.