Over the last couple of years, the US Census has analyzed lottery spending to find which states (per 1,000 people) spend the most on tickets and which provide the best return via prizes. It looked at income from ticket sales, prize payouts, and population figures.
Massachusetts ranks top for lottery spending, where residents spend $858 per 1,000 people annually on lottery tickets.
Florida’s was number 11 with residents spending $395 per 1,000 people annually on lottery tickets. The state has an income from ticket sales of $9,236,850 and a population of 23,372,215. Florida offers a strong prize return rate of 70.97%, which is the 10th highest percentage in the nation, returning $6,555,700 in prizes from the total ticket sales.
In 1986, the Florida Lottery was created as a avenue to generate dollars for state education.
The state says 25 cents every dollar spent on a Florida Lottery ticket is sent on education and from the beginning, lotto has brought in more than $49 billion for education funds.
Every year, The Florida Department of Education displays an annual report showing where the lotto dollars are being sent.
The money has been directed towards K-12 public schools. Bright Futures Scholarship Program. State Colleges, Universities and other programs that support financial aid programs, workforce development initiatives, and school recognition programs.
A spokesperson from online gambling site Pulsz.com commented on the statistics said some states fall short when it comes to prize winnings which could make state residents think twice about how much they’re spending.
