Schools

You May Not Be Winning Lottery, But Apparently Schools Are

Lottery officials report $20 million more than the previous year may be sent to California schools.

News from the California Lottery Commission in Sacramento:

The California Lottery Commission held its June meeting last week at Lottery Headquarters in Sacramento. 

And while historically the June meeting is always noteworthy, it’s tough to top the highlight of Thursday's meeting – the announcement that Lottery sales for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 set a new record! 

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Sales are up nearly half a billion dollars and are close to cracking the $5 billion mark for the first time since the Lottery’s inception in 1985.

“It’s been a record year for the California Lottery, and we’re proud of what we’ve been able to achieve for California schools,” Acting Lottery Director Paula LaBrie said. “However, we have tremendous opportunities for continued growth in the new fiscal year, and we’re determined to make this another great year for the Lottery and for public education.” 

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Total sales for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 are not yet final, but when you consider that Lottery sales are more than $4.9 billion now, that’s quite a jump from the $4.4 billion in the previous fiscal year. 

Once again, Scratchers® sales – highlighted by the introduction of the Lottery’s first-ever $20 Scratchers game – made up the majority of this year’s Lottery revenue, totaling more than $3 billion. 

In addition, total sales received a strong boost from a full year of Powerball® participation, as well as some great jackpot rolls in PowerballMega Millions® and SuperLotto Plus®. Games such as Daily Derby® and Hot Spot® also saw big increases in sales over the previous fiscal year. 

All the numbers are not yet final, but it looks like the Lottery will be able to send even more supplemental funds to schools this year compared to last year – more than $20 million more than in FY 2012-2013. 

Other factors to consider from the soon-to-be-completed fiscal year: 

·         Total sales were more than $500 million higher than last year;

·         FY 2013-2014 marks the 14th consecutive year the Lottery has provided more than $1 billion in supplemental funds to California schools; and,

·         This is the fifth consecutive year that Lottery sales have increased. 

The mission of the California Lottery is to provide supplemental funding to California schools while simultaneously supporting local communities. More than 95 cents of every dollar spent by our players goes back to local communities in the form of contributions to public schools and colleges, prizes and retail compensation. The California Lottery urges its customers to play responsibly and within their budgets. If you feel you have a gambling problem, or know someone who does, you can get help at 1-800-GAMBLER.


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