The Minnesota State Lottery is on track to deliver record proceeds to the state this year.

Preliminary data indicate that sales for the lottery last year were the second-highest ever, at $547 million. The state's proceeds hit a record $135.3 million.

Lottery director Ed Van Petten said sales of scratch-off lottery games were strong, with a game based on the television show "The Walking Dead" emerging as a player favorite.

"I wasn't wildly in favor of the game itself," said Van Patten. "However, research shows that it is a very popular with the young adults, the 25- to 40-year-olds. It turned out to be one of our higher-selling games of the year."

Van Petten said sales of scratch-off lottery games were strong but interest in games such as PowerBall seems to be waning.

He said the lottery is in the process of ending the sale of instant-play tickets sold at gas pumps, ATMs and over the Internet. The legislature voted to require the lottery to end those sales by Sept. 25, to entice people to buy more tickets at retail stores.