Where Does The Money From Ohio Lottery Go?

Coronavirus and the accompanying restrictions on consumers and businesses final twelvemonth didn't hamper Ohioans hoping to hit it large in the land lottery, with ticket sales up more than xv% over pre-pandemic 2019.

That should hateful additional funding for Ohio'due south schools, with nigh a quarter of proceeds directed into the country's Lottery Profits Educational activity Fund, though the terminal impact won't be known until the end of this financial year in June.

Total game sales from January through December topped $3.viii billion, up from $iii.3 billion in 2019, according to statistics compiled by the Ohio Lottery Commission.

More than than 84% of the increase, well-nigh $426 meg, came from scratch-off ticket sales. With the exception of March, monthly scratch ticket sales in 2020 exceeded 'nineteen results, ofttimes by tens of millions of dollars.

Lottery thrived while casinos airtight

The lottery commission, which operates on the state fiscal year that ends in June, compiled the calendar-year totals at the request of The Dispatch to gauge how the pandemic affected ticket sales.

Scratch-ticket sales drove record numbers for the lottery in the starting time one-half of 2020, said lottery spokeswoman Danielle Frizzi-Babb, and that appears to have continued during the second half.

"People have been limited in their amusement options for the last ten months, and lottery games proved to exist a fun socially distanced form of amusement," country lottery Director Pat McDonald added in a released statement.

The totals were a vivid spot in Ohio's legalized gaming sector, with restrictions on in-person activities hampering casino and racino revenues.

The Ohio Casino Control Committee reported full 2020 revenues of more than $643 million, down nigh 24% from almost $851 1000000 in 1999.

The 2020 totals included two months (April and May) with goose egg casino revenue, post-obit closures from mid-March through mid-June instituted by the state health department to preclude the spread of COVID-nineteen. Equally of November, casinos also were barred from operating around the clock, due to curfews implemented as part of the state pandemic response.

Casino, lottery revenues rebounded

Casino revenues hit record totals during the six months when locations were open and operating 24 hours a day, commission spokeswoman Jessica Franks said.

"I don't know if it'due south pent-upward demand...," she said. "Flick theaters have been closed, and a lot of other amusement options accept not been available for folks. So, this has been one of those few entertainment options that people all the same have where they've been able to get out, if they cull to do so."

Besides, video lottery terminals regulated by the state lottery committee at 7 Ohio horse racing tracks recorded a 35% drop in the full number of credits played in 2020, to $seven.8 billion from $12 billion-plus.

Simply, while traditional lottery sales statewide were down in March and Apr, monthly sales for the rest of 2020 exceeded 2019. McDonald said the lottery commission and retailers plant ways to promote ticket sales despite restrictions on contiguous interactions.

In May, for case, the lottery launched a mobile characteristic allowing cash prizes to be claimed online and deposited directly into accounts.

And, while unpredictable, bigger jackpots, like those in recent days for Powerball and Mega Millions drawings, often push new or casual players to purchase tickets.

"These past few weeks have shown gains in almost every category, but especially in our Scratch-Off, Selection game and Keno product lines," McDonald said.

State schools fund should benefit from lotto gains

Of the full revenues from traditional lottery sales and racino machines, about 65% is distributed as prizes, ane-quarter goes to school funding, 6-7% is paid out in commissions to retailers, and 4% is used to fund lottery commissioner operations, said Frizzi-Babb.

During the last fiscal twelvemonth, $one.three billion in proceeds was deposited into the state'due south Lottery Profits Instruction Fund.

Of the full casino revenues, 51% is distributed to counties on a per-capita basis, and 34% goes to public schoolhouse districts based on enrollment. Both payouts will be lower for the kickoff six months of electric current fiscal year.

mkovac@dispatch.com

@OhioCapitalBlog

Source: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/state/2021/01/22/ohio-lottery-sales-hit-3-8-billion-2020-despite-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/4227183001/

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