“We’re very dedicated to the fact that there has to be a drawing every night, because proceeds do help older Pennsylvanians with free rides, meals and all kinds of things that wouldn’t have happened if we shut down and didn’t do the drawings,” said Deb Armstrong, Pennsylvania Lottery drawings official.

This dedication and effort have helped put the Lottery on pace for a record fiscal year that will have a significant impact on Pennsylvania’s older residents. As of today, the Lottery projects that its traditional sales will total more than $5 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. It also projects that sales from its online games will surpass $900 million this fiscal year. That means the Lottery anticipates a total of more than $1.3 billion in profit will go to programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians.

“One of the main challenges we had to overcome was to figure out how to continue to do the drawings, while following our procedures, but also now the CDC Guidelines,” said Lottery Drawings Manager Rachel Feitelson. “The team worked together. We were able to come up with ways to keep everybody safe and still get the job done, get it done properly, correctly, and there was no doubt that we wouldn’t do the drawings.”

Each day this team relies on very specific procedures and guidelines to execute the Lottery’s drawings. This work starts with security procedures, such as weighing each Lottery ball and testing each Lottery machine to make sure they are working properly. Steps like these are critical to ensure that Lottery results, which air every night on television, are produced with integrity and transparency so that players have confidence in the Lottery’s games.

When the pandemic reached Pennsylvania, the drawings staff adapted in real time to ensure that social distancing guidelines, mask-wearing and other health and safety protocols were closely followed. Employees on the drawings team also took on new responsibilities.

“When COVID first hit, we went from coming to a completely full building to the only people in the building. We were in a ghost town every time we would come into work,” said Hal Cramer, Pennsylvania Lottery drawings official. “We took on additional responsibilities such as taking care of our own trash bins, cleaning the bathrooms and even watering peoples’ plants.”

All of this work behind the scenes helped ensure the Lottery did not miss any drawings — despite the health crisis that was unfolding in the commonwealth and across the world.

“I think we are all honored to be recognized,” said Dominique Lee, Pennsylvania Lottery drawings official, who works behind the scenes at drawings. “We’re kind of the unknown of Lottery, meaning a lot of people really don’t know what we do here. We are just honored and grateful that we are being recognized.”

All told, the Lottery has a staff of roughly 275 employees. Many have successfully worked remo
tely during the pandemic, while others have made significant contributions by reporting to their offices and adhering to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pennsylvania Department of Health.

In addition to the drawings staff, there have been many other employees at Lottery who have played a critical role in ensuring that operations have continued during the pandemic. This includes claims staff who have been reporting to Lottery offices to process prize claims, and district sales representatives who have worked with the Lottery’s network of more than 9,600 retailers to keep them stocked with the latest Lottery tickets that players enjoy.

“Our employees take great pride in the fact that we are the only state Lottery that designates all of its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents,” said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “We worked hard to continue delivering for our older adults despite the challenges created by the pandemic. Our staff’s work has kept funds flowing to older Pennsylvanians at a critical time.”

“I’m proud of our Lottery staff for working together — whether it was teleworking or in the office — to adapt our operations over the last year. They are doing a great job of following social distancing guidelines and wearing masks to get the job done,” added Svitko.

The Lottery is seeing growth in almost all game categories, with Scratch-Off tickets continuing to be the Lottery’s most popular product. The Lottery also has benefited this year from large multi-state jackpots for both Powerball® and Mega Millions® that generated significant sales. That includes a recent Mega Millions® run that ended when a $516 million jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Levittown, Bucks County.

Additionally, Lottery online games have been popular during the pandemic, providing an option that allows players to enjoy Lottery games on their computer, tablet or mobile device without having to leave their homes. Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Cash4Life® and Treasure Hunt tickets are available for purchase online.

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About Us: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery to direct all proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since ticket sales began in 1972, it has contributed more than $31 billion to fund property tax and rent rebates, transportation, care services, prescription assistance, and local services including senior centers and meals.

Visit the Winners and Benefits pages at palottery.com to review how much money each county receives in Lottery prizes and funding to benefit older Pennsylvanians.

Players must be 18 or older. Please play responsibly. Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) for help with a compulsive gambling problem.

Visit palottery.com for winning numbers, rules, chances of winning, and to join the VIP Players Club to play online or enter for second chances to win. Install our Official App, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @PALottery. Use the hashtag #palottery to share your messages with us.