BOSTON – It’s been a good year for the Massachusetts Lottery, according to an Associated Press report confirming that state lottery tickets sales for the past 12 months broke previous records. According to the report, the lottery’s estimated $971 million in profits for the fiscal year ending June 30 exceeded expectations by $34 million.

This marks the third consecutive year of record sales, with a total of $4.86 billion and this year’s profits are second only to 2012, which brought in $983 million.

Massachusetts isn’t alone in exceeding revenue for state lotteries, Pennsylvania also saw an increase in lottery sales for the fiscal year ending June 30, with total sales of $3.8 billion for the year. Net revenue for the state grew by $14.1 million, slightly up from the previous year.  According to a report in the Lehigh Valley Business News, Pennsylvania’s more than 9,100 lottery retailers earned $202.4 million, an increase of $6.3 million over the previous year.