Maine Lottery has Record Year, Provides $57M to General Fund

The Maine Lottery says it's made a record contribution of $57 million to the Maine state general fund following the most successful year in its 42-year history.

State officials say the contribution to the General Fund in the fiscal year that ended in June represents a $3 million increase from the previous year. There also were records for ticket sales, prizes paid to winners and commissions earned by retailer.

Gregg Mineo, director of the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, says total sales were $272 million, up from $253 million the previous year.

Players took home a record total, before taxes, of $178.2 million in winnings from the lottery's draw and instant win games, up from $166.7 million the previous year.