Maryland sold nearly $2 billion in lottery tickets for fiscal 2010, breaking its sales record for the 13th straight year.
The state lottery agency tallied $8.5 million more in sales over the last fiscal year, according to Stephen L. Martino, the agency’s director. The lottery contributed roughly $510 million of its fiscal 2010 sales to the state, and gave $1 billion in prizes to players.
Maryland added Powerball — a multi-state jackpot game — to its lottery games Jan. 31. The game wracked up $29 million in sales for fiscal 2010. Scratchoffs topped the charts with roughly $491 million in sales.
Since 1973, the lottery has funneled $11.7 billion in revenue to the state.
Maryland’s first slot-machine casino, located in Cecil County, is expected to open in late September or early October. The state’s four other planned casinos haven’t broken ground.
