Amid another probe into its operations, the Connecticut Lottery Corp. had some positive news to announce Wednesday.
The lottery said it returned $370 million to the state’s general fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, an increase of $25 million over fiscal year 2018. The results are the best ever for the lottery, which also posted record sales $1.33 billion for the year.
Keno posted nearly $103 million in sales during the recent year. That’s up from $70 million in the game’s first 12 months.
Multistate draw games were also among the financial high performers last year, officials said.
“The CT Lottery is pleased to continue to be a consistent and significant financial contributor to the state,” Lottery President and CEO Greg Smith said in a statement.
The lottery has been lobbying lawmakers to legalize online lottery sales and sports betting, in the hopes of finding additional revenue streams, but advocates for those two policies came up short in the recently concluded legislative session.
Smith has been CEO for approximately a year, following a search process that was delayed by controversy over a botched lottery drawing and other factors.
The lottery has also faced scrutiny in recent years over retailer fraud in its former 5 Card Cash game and a consulting package awarded to a former CEO during the state’s investigation of the fraud.
Meanwhile, the Hartford Courant reported this week that the lottery’s former interim CEO and current vice president — Chelsea Turner — has been placed on administrative leave amid a newly launched investigation into her handling of a personnel investigation five years ago.
