Kentucky Lottery Sales Remain Strong Through Third Quarter In 2022

Written By Frank Weber on April 27, 2022 - Last Updated on May 22, 2023
Kentucky Lottery strong sales first quarter 2022

The Kentucky Lottery saw record numbers through the first half of fiscal year 2022, and that trend continued through quarter three.

The Lottery’s Vice President and Corporate Controller Maggie Garrison said sales through February alone totaled more than $1 billion. This is a whopping $116.2 million more than the year before and $76.4 million more than projected.

Kentucky Lottery’s President and CEO Mary Harville has expressed her enthusiasm for the lottery’s success and is proud of the additional funds that will be sent to the Commonwealth.

The programs funded by the Kentucky Lottery’s revenue are the:

  • Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES)
  • Dual Credit Scholarship Program
  • Kentucky Tuition Grant
  • Kentucky National Guard Tuition Award Program
  • Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship
  • College Access Program (CAP)

With lottery sales numbers on the rise, it’s a clear indication KY has gambling on the brain. Perhaps in the coming legislative session that mindset will translate to legalized sports betting in KY.

Breakdown of the Kentucky Lottery’s successful start to 2022

According to Garrison, draw game sales are slightly down from last year. While the dip is only 1.5%, draw games have still raked in $329.5 million. Garrison attributes the slight drop in sales to the lack of higher jackpots in the Mega Millions game this year.

So, it looks like Kentucky lottery players are luckier than ever before, winning and resetting the jackpot more often than they did last year.

Despite a drop in draw games, Garrison reported that the total sales gap has been closed thanks to scratch-off ticket sales. Scratch-off ticket sales have gone up by 7.8%, totaling $631.6 million on the year.

The net income for the year is currently $231.9 million, which is $12.2 million more than last year and $18.3 million more than predicted.

Where does all the money go?

As I mentioned earlier, a large chunk of the lottery’s revenue – 22%, to be exact – goes back to the commonwealth. However, that leaves 78% unaccounted for – so where does that go?

Let me show you:

  • 67% goes back to the winners. So, a majority of every ticket sale goes directly back to the players in the form of cash prizes, incentives, and rewards.
  • 22% goes to the commonwealth
  • 6% goes back to the retailers. A majority of lottery retailers in the state, according to the lottery website, are mom and pop stores, local businesses, restaurants, and bars.
  • 5% goes back to the Administration. This 5% makes sure that the lottery itself can stay afloat and operate to its fullest potential.

The impact of the Kentucky Lottery on the community

Since 1989, the Kentucky Lottery has raised about $6 billion for the state of Kentucky.

Since 1999, $4 billion alone has gone to grants and scholarship programs to help normal Kentuckians afford the rising cost of a college education.

According to the Kentucky State Lottery’s website, that $4 billion has:

  • Handed out a scholarship or grant to one out of every five Kentucky citizens
  • 861,000 Kentucky college students have received lottery-funded assistance
  • 2.7 million lottery-funded grants and scholarships have been rewarded
Photo by Al Behrman/Associated Press
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Frank Weber

Frank Weber is a US-based gambling writer with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He loves baseball, football, basketball, soccer, and the UFC, and even collects sports cards and memorabilia in his spare time. In his free time, you could find Frank either out at a concert with friends, or at home sweating out all his bets.

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