TALLAHASSEE – Today, the Florida Lottery (Lottery) announced another record reached – $2 billion in contributions to the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) during fiscal year 2020-21! This milestone marks the first time in the Lottery’s 33-year history that education contributions for a single fiscal year have reached $2 billion. Additionally, the Lottery reached the $1 billion mark for this fiscal year in December 2020, one month earlier than any other year in Florida Lottery history.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for the Lottery, but more importantly, for students and schools in our great state,” said Florida Lottery Secretary John F. Davis. “For the past three decades, the Lottery’s core focus has been to maximize revenues for the enhancement of education in Florida, and this year is certainly one for the record books, marking our largest contribution yet! This historic milestone would not have been possible without the support of our loyal players, committed retail and vendor partners, and hardworking employees.”
The Lottery has experienced double-digit growth for ten consecutive months this fiscal year, with total sales to date 23%, or $1.52 billion, higher than the same period last year. In February, the Lottery set a national single-week Scratch-Off sales record of $193.5 million, driven in large part by the newest $30 Scratch-Off ticket, BILLION DOLLAR GOLD RUSH SUPREME.
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! This fiscal year, the Lottery has averaged approximately $6 million a day to benefit education.
The benefits of these Lottery dollars flow from community to community – from the Panhandle to the Keys. Since 1988, the Lottery has established itself as a committed and dependable funding source for public education, contributing more than $1 billion annually for the past 19 consecutive years while remaining one of the most efficiently operated Lotteries in the country.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA LOTTERY
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 $75.6 billion in prizes and made more than 3,000 people millionaires. For more information, please visit www.flalottery.com.