RICHMOND, Va. (WVEC) -- The Virginia Lottery finished its best year with record sales of $2.14 billion, and profits for K-12 education topping $600 million, according to Governor Northam.
The previous record was set in the fiscal year of 2016 with $588 million.
Virginia's Constitution requires that all Virginia Lottery profits be deposited into the Lottery Proceeds Fund. From there the General Assembly makes the appropriation in support of K-12 public education programs.
“Today’s news is a big win for public education in Virginia, particularly for the students and educators across our Commonwealth who benefit from this funding,” said Governor Northam. “Not only is the Lottery generating record profits, but the General Assembly has raised the Lottery per Pupil Allocation, giving school districts throughout Virginia more flexibility to use lottery funds to meet their local needs.”
This year, Virginians won a record amount of prizes totaling $1.3 billion. In total, 48 tickets won prizes of at least $1 million in Virginia.
“The Lottery is proud to deliver record sales while adhering to sound business principles and presenting our products in the most responsible manner possible,” said Virginia Lottery Board Chairman Ferhan Hamid. “The Lottery is all about fun and games, but we’re very serious about fulfilling our mission of benefitting K-12 education in the Commonwealth.”
These numbers are unaudited figures. The final, audited results will be released in August.
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