Pennsylvania, U.S.A. – The 2011-12 fiscal year was the Pennsylvania Lottery’s most successful year in its 41-year history, as the Lottery set new records for annual sales and profits, generating more than $1 billion for programs benefiting older Pennsylvanians.

Fiscal year 2011-12 Lottery sales totaled $3.48 billion, which was $273 million, or 8.5 percent, above the previous year and prior all-time sales record.

Net revenue to the Lottery Fund for fiscal year 2011-12 totaled $1.06 billion, which was $100 million, or 10.4 percent, more than the previous year and $85 million, or 8.7 percent, more than the previous profit record achieved in fiscal year 2005-06.

“The growth in sales of instant tickets, continued efforts to expand Lottery’s retailer base, growth in the multi-state games Powerball and Mega Millions as well as many other variables all played a role in the Lottery’s tremendous success this year,” said Lottery Executive Director Todd Rucci.

The Lottery ended fiscal year 2011-12 with more than 9,100 retailers, a record for the modern-era Lottery that simultaneously sells terminal-based products and dozens of instant games. Lottery retailers, many of them family-owned small businesses, earned $183.9 million in commissions in fiscal year 2011-12.

“The funds generated by the Pennsylvania Lottery this fiscal year helped support programs that provide services such as Older Adult Protective Services, in-home personal care, free transportation, meals, tax rebates and prescription drug assistance to thousands of older Pennsylvanians aimed to protect their independence, preserve their health and improve the quality of their life,” said Secretary of Aging Brian Duke. ”We are grateful for the support and commitment we receive from the Lottery.”

As an example of Lottery’s renewed focus on the programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians, Rucci pointed to the advertising campaign Lottery launched this year with the goal of raising awareness of the specific programs that Lottery funds.

Instant games sales for the fiscal year totaled $2.13 billion, which was $212.5 million, or 11.1 percent, higher than the previous year. Instant games accounted for 61.3 percent of fiscal year 2011-12 sales, as compared to 59.9 percent in 2010-11.

Sales for terminal-based games – including The Daily Number, Big 4, Quinto, Treasure Hunt, Cash 5, Match 6, Millionaire Raffle, Powerball and Mega Millions – totaled $1.35 billion for the fiscal year, which was $60.5 million, or 4.7 percent, more than the previous year.

Powerball sales of $277.7 million were $63.5 million, or 29.7 percent, more than last year, indicating enhancements made to the game this year to offer larger jackpots, better odds and more million-dollar prizes were welcomed by players.

Mega Millions sales of $151.2 million were $25 million, or 19.8 percent, more than last year, illustrating the significant sales impact of a world-record jackpot in March and suggesting Mega Millions continues to gain popularity with players.

In fiscal year 2011-12, the Lottery’s administrative costs decreased from 2.3 percent of total sales to 2.1 percent through a new contract with the independent drawing auditor, reductions in printing costs and fleet management changes.

“We are committed to improving efficiencies to maximize the dollars for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians, we embrace our unique mission and we are working to push that profit number even higher in the future,” said Rucci.

“This tremendous success is welcome good news for programs benefiting older Pennsylvanians, and it sets the bar even higher for potential bidders on a Lottery private management agreement. While this growth is not unexpected, it is difficult to predict,” Rucci added. “A private management agreement could help mitigate this unpredictability and provide security and stability in budgeting for years to come.”

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Metal fans are in for a treat as the Big 4 prepare to take the stage at the Yankee Stadium on the 14th September. The former quarreled bands have put aside their differences and plan to rock out to a seven-hour performance.

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax have already reunited in California and the response was abysmal: “Obviously, this thing should play more places in America,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone Magazine. The legacy and perseverance of everyone involved have cleared any signs of a feud.

The Big 4 will celebrate their thirtieth anniversaries in 2011 and hope to bring the success of their European Tour to New York. Even though metal bands receive little to no media attention, the underground heavy metal movement is far greater than what anyone could have foreseen: hundreds are expected to attend the metal fest in New York City, with no sign of ever slowing down.

Anthrax’s upcoming studio album Worship Music, the first featuring Joey Belladonna since their nineties album, Persistence of Time, is expected to hit the shelves in the U.S. September 13th. The band plans on showcasing some of their new songs to an eager crowd on the 14th.

According to Rolling Stone, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is hoping for a metal mayhem: “I think back to my heyday of going to concerts as a kid in New York from the years of like ’79 to ’83, and I remember going to see Judas Priest on either Screaming For Vengeance or one of those sold-out Madison Square Garden shows,” said Ian.

“There was an energy level at shows like that that was just out of control. I don’t mean this in a bad way, but I remember being in the Garden for Judas Priest in 1981 and actually feeling scared sometimes because it was just so intensely rowdy and nuts and people were just losing their mind.”

Scott Ian hopes that New Yorkers can gather all that buzz again. “I would love to feel that energy again at this Yankee Stadium Show, like the old-school New York energy that I used to feel at gigs back then,” he says. This show also has great meaning for drummer Charlie Benante, whose father was scouted to play professional baseball but was told he couldn’t do it.

In a recent Rolling Stone interview, Benante opens up about what this show really means to him: “My dad died when I was five so he never really got to see how far I’ve come in my career,” he says. “I just know if he knew that I’d be playing Yankee Stadium he would be fucking going nuts to find that his son did this and achieved this goal.

Here I am playing Yankee Stadium and I know in some way he’ll probably be there with me.”
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