The Minnesota Lottery announced record sales and prize distributions in the most recent fiscal year, fueled by widespread betting on the multistate Powerball game.
Minnesota Lottery players spent record $593M on games, won a record $366M
Players spent nearly $593M on various games and won a record $366M.
September 29, 2016 at 3:07AM
For the fiscal year ending June 30, wishers and dreamers spent nearly $593 million on various games. Payouts to gamblers in that period came in just shy of $366 million.
The previous records were set in fiscal year 2013, with $560.4 million in sales and $347.1 million in payouts.
The Minnesota Lottery's acting executive director, Michael Vekich, noted Wednesday that a record $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot — hit in January by players in California, Florida and Tennessee — powered the totals, as well as several especially popular scratch games.
"We will continue to offer fun, innovative games that appeal to new and existing players in order to maximize contributions to the state," Vekich said in a statement announcing the results.
Other records hit by the Minnesota Lottery from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016, with previous records in parentheses:
• Retailer commissions: $35.7 million ($33.6 million, fiscal year 2013).
• Overall payouts to Minnesota funds (listed below): $144.7 million ($135.5 million, fiscal year 2015).
• State general fund: $76.8 million ($73.3 million, fiscal year 2015).
• Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund: $38.3 million ($34.6 million, fiscal year 2015).
• Game and Fish Fund: $14 million ($13.2 million, fiscal year 2013).
• Natural Resources Fund: $14 million ($13.2 million, fiscal year 2013).
The lottery also spent $1.6 million on gambling addiction treatment and prevention in the fiscal year. The record for that expenditure stands at $2.5 million in fiscal year 2008.
These Minnesotans are poised to play prominent roles in state and national politics in the coming years.
