For every dollar spent on Lottery tickets in Fiscal Year 2009:
61.2 cents paid players prizes for winning tickets
8.3 cents was used to pay ticket, lotto vendor and administrative costs
6.0 cents was paid to retailers in the form of commissions and incentives
The remaining 24.5 cents went to the state:
13.4 cents to the state General Fund to support services such as K-12 education, health care, aid to local governments and public safety. Of this amount, $2.1 million was set aside to help combat problem gambling. From the Lottery’s inception through June 2009, $1.06 billion has gone to the General Fund.
6.4 cents to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund to finance projects that preserve, restore and enhance our state's natural resources. The Trust Fund is financing 28 projects, totaling $23.8 million, for fiscal year 2009. From the start of the Lottery through June 2009, the Trust Fund has received more than $490 million.
4.7 cents more to the state's environment, which received a boost when the 2000 Legislature reallocated the in-lieu-of-sales tax. This money, which was previously allocated to the General Fund, now goes to fish and game, parks, trails and zoos.