Protect PA seniors and the Lottery by supporting Gov. Shapiro’s budget proposal
Rep. Melissa Shusterman June 11, 2025 | 9:13 AM
The Pennsylvania Lottery holds the distinction of being the only state Lottery in the nation that generates funding solely for older residents. This unique and important mission has resulted in the Lottery providing more than $36.2 billion for programs that benefit Pennsylvania seniors since its first ticket was sold in 1972. Every year, the Lottery is counted on to provide older Pennsylvanians with affordable prescription drugs, meals, free and reduced-fare transit rides, rebates on property taxes or rent paid, access to senior centers, and a host of other critical benefits.
These programs serve as a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of PA seniors, helping many of them age gracefully -- and that includes many of the older residents of Chester County whom I’m proud to represent in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly. However, the Lottery is at a major crossroads, as it faces considerable competition in the gaming industry and antiquated laws that restrain how the Lottery operates. Because of these facts, there is a pressing need for members of the General Assembly to take action to ensure the Lottery continues to be a reliable source of funding for the programs our seniors rely upon.
That’s why Gov. Josh Shapiro made the Lottery a focal point of the budget proposal he introduced earlier this year. The governor offered several ideas to put the Lottery on better financial footing moving forward, and I was proud to work with his team to introduce legislation that builds upon one of those proposals.
House Bill 1058, which recently passed the PA House with broad bipartisan support, would fully repeal the mandate originally established in a 1971 law that requires Pennsylvania Lottery games to provide at least a 20% profit. By taking this step, the Lottery will have more flexibility to offer a wider variety of new and popular products with larger prize payouts.
Pennsylvania is one of only seven states that have a profit percentage requirement, which shows that we are relying on an increasingly outdated model to ensure the long-term success of our Lottery. In fact, the highest-performing state lotteries in terms of net income all come from states that do not impose a profit margin requirement like ours. We are falling behind and failing to provide the Lottery with the tools it needs to compete in a gaming environment where there are more options for players than ever before.
It's critical that my colleagues in the General Assembly take the time to understand this issue and support the governor’s proposal and my bill to protect the Lottery-funded programs that support our seniors. If no action is taken, we will quickly find ourselves in a situation where there is less money to fund the programs that have supported older Pennsylvanians for more than 50 years.
Adding to the need for immediate action is the fact that Pennsylvania is home to 3.4 million older adults -- the fifth-highest total in the entire nation, according to the Department of Aging. We will also soon reach a point where Pennsylvanians over the age of 60 will outnumber those under the age of 20 due to declining birth rates and longer life expectancies.
These are unavoidable facts that illustrate the importance of being proactive and planning strategically to support older Pennsylvanians in all the Commonwealth’s 67 counties. Our seniors deserve this forethought from their leaders.