The Massachusetts Lottery did more than $487 million in sales in December, up nearly 5% from a year prior as scratch tickets flew from store counters to stockings in the holiday season.

Executive Director Mark William Bracken’s report Tuesday to the Lottery Commission said the $21 million increase in monthly sales, combined with an $11 million decrease in scratch ticket prizes claimed during December, led to an estimated profit of $95.1 million for the month. That represents an increase of $4 million over December 2022. Last month’s prize payout percentage (72.24%) was just less than December 2022’s (72.64%).

Now halfway through fiscal year 2024, Lottery sales of roughly $3.17 billion are up $151.8 million or 5% over the same checkpoint in fiscal 2023. The Lottery’s estimated profit, which Beacon Hill eventually divides up among the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, trails last year’s record-setting pace by $7.6 million at $573.6 million.

United Airlines mulls options to Boeing

The United Airlines CEO says he is “disappointed” in ongoing manufacturing problems at Boeing that have led to the grounding of dozens of United jetliners, and the airline will consider alternatives to buying a future, larger version of the Boeing 737 Max.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Tuesday that Boeing needs “real action” to restore its previous reputation for quality.

Kirby’s comments came one day after United disclosed that it expects to lose money in the first three months of this year because of the grounding of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jets.

United has 79 of those planes, which federal regulators grounded more than two weeks ago after a panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines Max 9 in midflight, leaving a gaping hole in the plane.