(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery is on track to finish the fiscal year at the end of this month ahead of projections. Lottery CEO Matt Strawn updated the Lottery Commission today.

“Through May 2025, total lottery sales of $400,986,731 are 4.61% or $17.7 million ahead of forecasted budget projections in sales for the fiscal year,” Strawn says. The money the Lottery will send to the state is also ahead of projections. “Total lottery proceeds $81,063,349 are up 14.3% or 10.1 million dollars ahead of forecasted budget projections for proceeds for fiscal ’25,” he says.

The Lottery is coming off a record for sales of nearly 490 million dollars in the last fiscal year after five lotto game jackpots hit more than one billion dollars. “There was not a single Powerball jackpot that exceeded 600 million dollars this fiscal year,” Strawn says “As equally unprecedented as last year’s billion dollar jackpots were, that’s unprecedented and certainly had a significant impact when it comes to Powerball sales.”

Iowa Lottery Headquarters. (RI photo)

Strawn spoke after the Commission meeting and says the economy has had some impact on sales. )”Everybody’s wallets are a little skinnier as it relates to, you know, increased prices, whether it is at the gas pump or whether it’s, you know, products at the grocery store,” Strawn says. “I always remind I wins that a lottery product is to be enjoyed responsibly with your discretionary income and when there’s less discretionary income, Iowans are responsible consumers. So one of the first things to go is, you know maybe buying that five dollar scratch ticket.”

Powerball ticket sales are down nearly 53% from last year, Mega Millions sales are down nearly 31$ and scratch tickets are down 4.2%t. Lotto America sales were up 35% and InstaPlay and Pulltab sales were also up.