Watch CBS News

MN Lottery Officials Surprised By Record Sales

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- State lottery officials are not only delighted, they're also surprised by another record year for ticket sales.

The Minnesota Lottery sold $520 million in tickets in the past year and raised $124 million for state programs -- both records.

This all occurred despite the fact that sales were suspended during the three-week government shutdown last summer. That's why research director Don Feeney is so surprised.

"If you had asked me or any of us (lottery workers) in September or October were we going to set a record in sales this year we would have said, 'absolutely no way,'" said Feeney.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Steve Murphy Reports

Podcast

Feeney added that a big reason for record sales were large jackpots in games like Powerball.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.