Hitting the Jackpot
California Lottery sales were the fifth-highest among the 38 states with lotteries in fiscal1996. About half the state’s lottery proceeds are used to pay prizewinners, with 34% dedicated to public education. About $30.7 million in prize money went unclaimed in the year. California Lottery sales since the early 1990s, where lottery proceeds go, and how California’s 12-year-old lottery ranks against other state lotteries.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
California Lottery Sales. ..
Fiscal-year sales, in billion:
1996: $2.29
. . .and Distributions
Where California Lottery proceeds go:
Prizewinners: 50%
Public education*: 34%
Costs associated with running the games: 3.5%
Operating expenses: 6%
Retailers’ commissions: 6.5%* Mandated minimum
How the California Lottery Ranks
Rank: 1
State lottery: New York
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: $3.61
*
Rank: 2
State lottery: Texas
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 3.43
*
Rank: 3
State lottery: Massachusetts
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 3.03
*
Rank: 4
State lottery: Ohio
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 2.38
*
Rank: 5
State lottery: California
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 2.30
*
Rank: 6
State lottery: Florida
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 2.06
*
Rank: 7
State lottery: Pennsylvania
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 1.67
*
Rank: 8
State lottery: New Jersey
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 1.59
*
Rank: 9
State lottery: Illinois
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 1.58
*
Rank: 10
State lottery: Georgia
Fiscal 1996 sales, in billions: 1.54
Sources: California Lottery; Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis
Researched by JENNIFER OLDHAM / Los Angeles Times