New York Lottery Players Lost $3.2 Billion Last Year. State Encourages Them to Keep Dreaming
Posted on: May 26, 2026, 12:32h.
Last updated on: May 26, 2026, 12:32h.
- The New York Lottery dares players to “imagine” winning big
- New Yorkers lost $3.2 billion on traditional lottery games in the 2025 fiscal year
- Traditional lottery sales are down nationwide
The New York Lottery has debuted a new marketing campaign designed to entice those with big dreams to keep testing their luck.
The tagline for the New York Lottery is now, “Can You Imagine?” The advertising motto follows the New York Lottery’s “Hey, You Never Know” and “All You Need Is a Dollar and a Dream” campaigns.
The state lottery’s advertising partner, McCann New York, developed the new slogan. The New York State Gaming Commission, which oversees the lottery, casinos, sports betting, horse racing, racinos, and charitable gaming in the Empire State, quickly embraced the campaign.
Every New York Lottery ticket represents a world of possibility. The chance for of-age New Yorkers to win life-changing money certainly lends itself to daydreaming, and this campaign captures that fun spirit,” said New York State Gaming Commission Chair Brian O’Dwyer.
“New York runs on the belief that anything can happen,” added Britt Nolan, McCann’s chief creative officer. “This campaign is built around that moment right before you scratch a ticket or hear the winning numbers announced, when your imagination takes over and anything feels possible. It’s a feeling every New Yorker knows.”
New Yorkers Already Rack Up Massive Lottery Losses
New York’s latest lottery marketing ploy dares the public to dream about winning a major lottery prize.
Of course, the odds of winning such a life-changing payout are about as good as being struck by lightning. In fact, mathematicians say it’s much more likely that lightning hits you than you hitting a $1 million lottery jackpot. That doesn’t stop millions of New Yorkers from playing the lottery anyway. After all, a Canadian man in 2015 won a $1 million lottery prize years after being struck by lightning.
The New York Lottery’s operation leads to massive losses for players. That means billions of dollars for public education, the lottery’s sole beneficiary.
Traditional game sales from instants, daily numbers, lotto, Powerball, Mega Millions, Daily Keno, and For Life games totaled more than $7.81 billion in the 2025 fiscal year. According to data compiled by the North American Association of State & Provincial Lotteries, New York ranked fourth in the nation behind Florida ($9.13 billion), California ($8.93 billion), and Texas ($7.91 billion).
The New York Lottery generated gross revenue of $3.2 billion on the $7.81 billion in sales. After covering operational overhead, the lottery directed $2.5 billion in education aid during the fiscal year.
Lottery Woes
The 45 states and Washington, DC, that have a lottery generated 2025 fiscal year traditional sales of over $96.16 billion. Traditional sales exclude income from iLottery, lottery-based electronic gaming machines, and lotteries that offer sports betting.
The FY25 traditional lottery sales volume represented a 5.1% year-over-year decline. New York’s traditional sales were about on par with the national weakening, with receipts down 4.7%.
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