Jim Rosica
The Florida Lottery set “an all-time record high” of $467 million in ticket sales for August, the agency announced.
This comes after the agency reported having the best-ever July — the first month of the state’s fiscal year — for sales.
In a Tuesday press release, the Lottery said the August figure also was roughly five percent higher than last August’s sales.
The increases were attributed to “a series of rollovers and high jackpots for both Powerball and Mega Millions” games.
The Lottery now plans to transfer about $120 million from the August proceeds into the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, which helps pay for public education.
Last month, the Lottery chipped in $150 million to the fund from July operations.
“The Lottery’s sole mission is to sell tickets to generate additional funding for education,” Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie said in a statement. “We are extremely proud that this unprecedented sales record will assist in furthering that goal.
“For the past 28 years, Lottery dollars have benefited Florida’s students and schools, and we are confident that this year will prove to be the largest contribution yet.”
The release noted July’s contribution “marked the third-largest transfer in a single month since fiscal year 1991-92; it’s also 30 percent higher than the Lottery’s transfer for this month last year.”
Florida Lottery money represents about 6 percent of the state’s total education budget. Florida has the second-largest-selling lottery in the country, behind New York.
