The State : Lottery Take: $1.15 Billion

The California Lottery has taken in about $1.15 billion in ticket sales--and paid out more than $528 million in winnings since it began last Oct. 3, Lottery Director M. Mark Michalko reported. Prize money paid out, he said, includes $321.1 million in low-tier ($2 and $5) prizes, $190.6 million in high-tier payments (amounts above $5, not including multimillion-dollar grand prizes)--and only $17.1 million to grand prize winners, although a total of $75 million has been “committed” to the top prizes, which are actually paid out on a 20-year annuity basis.