More than $30 billion contributed to education
Today marks the Florida Lottery’s 29th year in operation, with another year of record sales and record contributions to education. In fiscal year 2016, the Lottery broke all previous records, enjoying more than $6 billion in sales and $1.67 billion in contributions to education. The Florida Lottery is also the primary funding source for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program which has enabled more than 750,000 students to attend college since the program’s inception in 1997. Additionally, Governor Scott’s support of the Lottery and strong commitment to education has resulted in 29 percent of all education contributions since start-up, occurring since he took office in January 2011.
Over the past 29 years, the Florida Lottery has firmly established itself as a dependable funding source for public education, contributing more than $1 billion annually for each of the past 14 consecutive fiscal years, and averaging more than $100 million each month in 2016.
“Twenty-nine years ago, we set out to bring the fun and excitement of winning to Florida and we are proud of our successes through the years because they have allowed more Florida students the opportunity for a great education,” said Secretary Tom Delacenserie. “We celebrate our 29th year, and thank our players and our retailers for making this anniversary our best one yet,” said Florida Lottery Secretary Delacenserie.
The Florida Lottery reinvests approximately 99 percent of its revenue back into the state’s economy, with $1.67 billion generated for education last year, more than $3.9 billion paid to prize winners, and $342 million in retailer bonuses and commissions paid to Florida businesses.
