IOWA - Iowa Lottery sales are up 20 percent from the same time a year ago.
The numbers include sales during the peak months of the pandemic last summer and fall.
Instant-scratch off games increased 19 percent while InstaPlay sales nearly doubled.
Powerball and Mega Millions sales were also sharply up in Iowa, as those jackpots topped $700 million in January.
The latest sales numbers reflect an eight-month period starting in July (the beginning of the fiscal year) through February.
Iowa lottery sales totaled almost $293 million during the time frame. Instant-scratch tickets alone represent more than 63 percent of total sales. Powerball was 2nd in sales, followed by Mega Millions and InstaPlay as the only other games to generate greater than $15 million in sales.
The revenue the lottery will send to the state to be used for various services was $69.2 million for the eight-month period.