The Maryland Lottery and MD casinos combined for $1.391 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2021, which is a new record.
Maryland Lottery and Gaming officials on Monday announced the latest lotto and casino revenue, as well as the contributions to the state.
Overall, the Maryland Lotto contributed $667.4 million to the state and MD casinos accounted for $723.5 million during the 2021 fiscal year. FY2021 ran from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.
It proved to be a fruitful stretch for gambling in Maryland.
Record-breaking gaming revenue in Maryland
The MD Lotto and Gaming’s official tally of nearly $1.4 billion in state funding for fiscal year 2021 shattered the previous record.
That high mark came in FY2019 with $1.311 billion, which FY2021 beat by 6.1%.
The record-breaking gaming revenue is all the more impressive considering the COVID-19 restrictions that hindered casino operations and affected lotto retailer operations over the past year.
As Maryland Lottery and Gaming Director John Martin stated:
“It’s exciting to set records, but the achievement we’re most proud of is that we remain a vital source of revenue that supports the people of Maryland. Our staff is mindful of that goal every day, and we appreciate the hard work on the part of our Lottery retailers and casino partners. It’s truly a team effort.”
Maryland Lottery revenue booms
The Maryland Lottery set a sales record with $2.611 billion in FY2021. The associated profits of $667.4 million also broke the previous record of $593.1 million in FY2019.
It was good news for players, too. They won a record $1.657 billion in prizes, which comes out to an average of $4.5 million in winnings per day. That total shattered the previous record by a staggering 21.7%.
MD Lottery retailers also hit a high-water mark and averaged $45,000 in commissions per location for FY2021. The overall retailer commissions of $197.2 million bested the previous record by a whopping 19.2%.
The most popular lotto games included scratch-off tickets (“scratchers“) with nearly $1 billion in sales ($993.4 million).
Other top MD Lottery games included:
- Pick 4: $395.7 million in sales
- Racetrax (virtual horse racing): $298.7 million
- Pick 3: $290.8 million
- Keno: $273.5 million
Here’s the full list:
| Game | Sales | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| Mega Millions | $108 million | $44.4 million |
| Powerball | $93.2 million | $37.8 million |
| Multi-Match | $33.7 million | $11.1 million |
| Cash4Life | $20.9 million | $6.2 million |
| Pick 3 | $290.8 million | $122.7 million |
| Pick 4 | $395.7 million | $130 million |
| Bonus Match 5 | $20.5 million | $7.4 million |
| 5 Card Cash | $5.8 million | $1.8 million |
| Keno | $273.5 million | $72.6 million |
| Racetrax | $298.7 million | $65.4 million |
| Scratch-offs | $993.4 million | $153.4 million |
| Fast Play | $66.5 million | $12.4 million |
| Instant Ticket Lottery Machines | $10.5 million | $2.1 million |
| Totals | $2.611 billion | $667.4 million |
Most of the revenue goes to the Maryland General Fund ($631.7 million). The Baltimore City Schools ($20 million), Maryland Stadium Authority ($15.2 million), Busch Sports Fund ($298,630), and veterans’ organizations ($214,326) also benefited.
Maryland casinos also break records in FY2021
Maryland’s six casinos, meanwhile, generated $1.746 billion in gaming revenue, just 0.9% short of the record. The subsequent $723.5 million in contributions to the state narrowly broke the previous record (FY2019) by 0.8%.
Maryland casinos were closed for three months in FY2020, and they operated with capacity restrictions for much of FY2021.
Despite the hurdles, the casinos set a record with a $723.5 million contribution to the state.
MGM National Harbor took the top spot with $692.2 million in revenue and a $274.8 million contribution to the site. However, Live! Casino & Hotel was narrowly behind with $622.5 million in revenue and a $255.8 state contribution.
Here’s how each Maryland casino property did:
| Casino | Revenue | Contribution to state |
|---|---|---|
| MGM National Harbor | $692.2 million | $274.8 million |
| Live! Casino & Hotel | $622.5 million | $255.8 million |
| Horseshoe Casino Baltimore | $199.6 million | $85.9 million |
| Hollywood Casino Perryville | $86.5 million | $47.8 million |
| Ocean Downs | $84.3 million | $36.7 million |
| Rocky Gap Casino Resort | $60.5 million | $22.5 million |
| Totals | $1.7 billion | $723.5 million |
Of the $1.7 billion in gaming revenue, most of it ($1.01 billion, or 57.9%) is the casino operators’ share.
As for the rest, 30.4% goes to the Maryland Education Trust Fund ($531.4 million), 5.3% to local aid ($92.2 million), 4.5% to the MD horse racing industry ($78.8 million), 1.0% to small/minority/women-owned businesses ($17 million), 0.7% to operating expenses ($11.6 million), and 0.2% to responsible gaming initiatives ($4.1 million).
