By Dan Adams, Globe Correspondent
While no one in the state drew a winning ticket in Friday’s record-breaking $640 million Mega Millions drawing, the glut of ticket sales produced a windfall for Massachusetts nonetheless.
More than $39 million in tickets were sold in the state since the jackpot began on January 24, lottery officials said, generating a net profit of $16.4 million for the state’s General Fund. The fund provides unrestricted aid to the budgets of cities and towns.
Three states, Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland, each produced a winning ticket that matched all six numbers.
Five Massachusetts residents matched all but one of the numbers, a stroke of luck that will bring each ticket-holder $250,000. Those five tickets were sold at 7-Eleven, 63 Mammoth Road, Lowell; Handy Variety, Watertown; Tayeh Convenience, East Bridgewater; Tedeschi Food Shop, 90 Washington St., Somerville; and, West Street Mobil, Reading.
Beth Bresnahan, a Massachusetts lottery spokeswoman, said she hopes the excitement surrounding the huge jackpot will fuel future sales.
“I think ‘mega-mania’ will definitely open the eyes of people who don’t traditionally play lottery to perhaps taking a chance at another jackpot,†Bresnahan said.
The rush on tickets broke numerous records, lottery officials said. A 12-year-old record for single-day Mega Millions sales, $11.3 million, was shattered Friday when residents bought $13.2 million in tickets. During peak hours, retailers were selling around $22,000 in tickets every minute.
All that translates into a “tremendous year†financially for the lottery, Bresnahan said. Annual sales to date are up 6 percent over 2011, she said.
The high sales are also good for municipalities, which can use their portion of the lottery money to fund schools, repair roads, or complete other projects. Retailers also see a benefit from increased foot traffic in their stores, plus a small commission on each ticket sold and a 1 percent bonus on winning tickets.
Despite missing out on a jackpot winner, Bresnahan said the state is not overdue. Last August, a 47-year-old unemployed Dorchester man named Candido Oliveira won a $32 million jackpot. And in 2004, retired Lowell janitor Geraldine Williams took home a then-record $294 million. Since 1996, the state has produced 13 jackpot winners, who collected a total of $790 million.
Dan Adams can be reached at DAdams@globe.com and on Twitter at @DanielAdams86. 
