The Massachusetts Lottery has rolled out a new line of scented scratch tickets aimed at boosting holiday season sales amid a declining trend in traditional ticket purchases. Released on October 6, the $5 and $10 Candy Cane Cash Blowout tickets are the lottery’s first holiday-themed scratchers infused with a peppermint scent, intended to offer a novel experience for players, according to Kate Sutton, a lottery marketing specialist.
Sutton noted during a recent meeting of the state lottery commission that the scented tickets have been well received by players. The lottery often sees increased demand for holiday-themed scratch tickets, which are popular as stocking stuffers or gifts. However, scratch ticket sales overall have seen a notable decline in the current fiscal year.
Mark William Bracken, the lottery’s executive director, reported that scratch ticket sales fell by 6 percent for fiscal year 2027 and dropped 7.3 percent in September alone. Scratch tickets, once representing about 70 percent of total lottery sales in fiscal year 2021, have seen their share shrink as the lottery has expanded offerings in other categories. This includes games such as Keno and the introduction this summer of online “eInstant” games, which function similarly to virtual scratch tickets. Last year, scratch tickets accounted for 65 percent of lottery sales, but so far this fiscal year, their share has dropped to 52 percent. Meanwhile, eInstant games have grown to represent 18.5 percent of total sales.
Despite the decline in retail scratch ticket sales, overall combined sales from both retail and online channels for September reached $601.2 million. This marked a 27 percent increase, or $128.2 million more than September 2025, a period when sales were only through retail outlets. Bracken explained that while retail sales decreased by $54.8 million, online sales surged by $183 million during the month. Net profits reflected a similar shift, with retail net profit declining by an estimated $12.6 million to $57.9 million, while online net profit of $14 million nearly offset that drop, resulting in a net increase of $1.4 million for the month.
Year to date, through the first three months of fiscal year 2027, the Massachusetts Lottery has recorded total combined sales of $1.72 billion, an increase of $241.2 million or 16.3 percent compared to the same period last year. This growth is driven by $322.4 million in online sales, which more than compensated for an $81.2 million decline in retail sales, Bracken said. Adjusted for calendar differences, the lottery is running $11.8 million ahead of its profit pace from the previous fiscal year.