For the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, the Louisiana Lottery Corporation transferred $39.1 million to the state treasury, down $1.6 million from the same quarter last year.
“Sales figures for this fiscal year are currently down due to a lack of the large Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots occurring during the last three months," explained Lottery President Rose Hudson, "even though scratch-off sales continued to climb, up 4.5% over last year. Although they are unpredictable, the power of large jackpots to influence overall sales cannot be understated.”
With first-quarter revenue of $111,751,634, the Lottery contributed $39,113,070 to the state treasury about $737,000 off pace with budget projections. By law, at least 35% of Lottery proceeds are transferred to the state treasury and dedicated for K-12 public education. Roughly 53% of sales fund prizes and less than 6% is used to operate the Lottery.
Retailers earn 5.5% compensation, including commission, incentives for cashing winning tickets and bonuses for selling winning tickets, totaling more than $6.2 million for July through September of 2019.
Since its inception in 1991, the Lottery has transferred more than $3.7 billion to the state.
Lottery ticket purchasers must be at least 21 years of age. Anyone with a gambling problem, or friends of anyone with a gambling problem, is encouraged to call toll-free 1-877-770-7867 for assistance. For security purposes, players should sign the back of their tickets after purchasing.