Staff Reports
The Florida Lottery sold more than $528 million in tickets during April, contributing to its strongest quarterly returns on record, officials announced Thursday.
That was $100 million more than the April returns five years ago, and meant more than $130 million to the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
“I am extremely proud of our Florida Lottery team and retailers as we continue to shatter previous records,” Florida Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie said in a press release.
“In addition to their winning experiences, our players should take pride in knowing that with the purchase of every lottery ticket, they are making a difference in the lives of Florida’s students,” he said.
The news followed a strong 2016, when the lottery surpassed $6.2 billion in sales. That set a record for annual sales.
Lottery administrators have predicted a hit to sales under new legislation requiring warnings against gambling addiction to be printed on tickets. Assuming a sales slump of 1 percent to 3 percent, they projected a revenue decline of between $16 million and $50 million.
During the past 15 years, the lottery has contributed more than $1 billion to education — 6 percent of state spending on schools.
