The Florida Lottery (Lottery) announced this week that it has reached $39 billion in contributions to the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF), just five months after reaching the $38 billion milestone.
“This is a huge win for both our students and our schools,” said Florida Lottery Sec. John Davis. “As secretary, providing funding so that every student in Florida has access to a quality education and the opportunity to better themselves is something that I hold near and dear to my heart because I know that a quality education can change lives from acceptable to exceptional. I am inspired every day by the level of devotion each and every Lottery employee shares when it comes to creating fun and entertaining games for the enhancement of education in Florida, and I look forward to what the future holds.”
The Lottery has experienced double-digit growth for nine consecutive months this fiscal year, with total sales to date 22.28 percent, or $1.207 billion, higher than the same period last year. These increased sales translate into record education contributions. In January, the Lottery’s EETF transfers exceeded $269 million – the largest contribution to the EETF in the Lottery’s 33-year history, beating the January 2016 transfer during the world-record $1.58 billion POWERBALL jackpot series by $31 million. The Lottery averages transferring more than $5.9 million transferred to education a day.
The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $39 billion to education and sending more than 880,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 99 percent of its revenue back into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more than 13,000 Lottery retailers, and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida Lottery games have paid more than $73.2 billion in prizes and made nearly 3,000 people millionaires.
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