The Tennessee Education Lottery marks its 13th anniversary Friday with the announcement that it has surpassed the $4 billion mark for dollars raised for education. The Lottery also announced its second quarter results, which yielded a record second-quarter return of $89.6 million to the Lottery for Education Account for the period Oct. 1-Dec. 30, 2016.
“Some are superstitious about the number 13, but for the Tennessee Lottery, the number is very lucky, indeed,” said Rebecca Hargrove, president and CEO. “We are celebrating 13 stellar years of operations and year-over-year sales growth, which have funded more than one million grants and scholarships for Tennessee students.
“These accomplishments have been made possible with guidance from our Board of Directors, participation from players, the hard work of more than 5,000 retailers, and the dedication and talent of our team of employees. Our success is also due to enabling legislation that provides the business structure under which we operate."
Total ticket sales for the first half of the fiscal year were the highest for any July-December period since inception at $765.3 million, up $16.3 million from the same period last year. Additional details for the past 13 years include:
More than $15.8 billion in gross ticket sales
More than $11.1 billion in prizes won by players
More than $1.03 billion paid in retailer commissions
207 winning tickets worth $1 million or more, including six Powerball jackpot winners; two Hot Lotto jackpot winners, and a Mega Millions jackpot winner.
Since the first awards were given in the fall of 2004, Lottery-funded programs have grown to include 12 different scholarships and grants, multiple after-school programs, an energy-efficient schools program, and the recent Tennessee Promise initiative. And during the 2015-2016 academic year, the number of Lottery-funded scholarships and grants reached over one million.
A key component of the Lottery’s success is meeting evolving consumer demand by launching games that are innovative and fun, said officials. Additionally, the Lottery continues to offer new platforms such as:
VIP Players Suite, our players’ affinity club, which is launching a new drawings program this week that will feature prizes such as cars, trips, high-end electronics, Apple products, HDTVs, designer goods and more.
Phone apps that allow players to scan tickets to see if they are winners
Stand-alone “ticket checkers” at retailers throughout the state
For more information about the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation, visit www.tnlottery.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.