NY Lottery sets sales record, hauling in nearly $10B

The New York Lottery has hit a record for sales.

State lottery officials said Friday that total sales of lottery tickets and video lottery games came in at just under $10 billion for the fiscal year that ended March 31. That's up from $9.7 billion the year before, and a record for the lottery.

After prize money and operating expenses were deducted, nearly $3.4 billion went to education programs, a $105 million increase over the previous year.

Started in 1967, New York's lottery is the largest in the nation by sales, with more than 17,000 retailers statewide participating.

Lottery officials say a total of 120 prizes amounting to $1 million or more were paid out in the last fiscal year.