The California Lottery, which provides supplemental funding to the state’s school districts, earned a record $8.4 billion in fiscal year 2020-21, according to lottery officials. It’s the first time in its 37-year history that the lottery has cracked the $8 billion sales mark, and it will be a boon for the state’s school districts.
The record sales generated an estimated $1.86 billion in supplemental funding for the more than 1,000 public school districts throughout the Golden State. The rebound in sales comes after 2020 pandemic-caused retail shutdowns that prevented ticket sales.
In the early stages of the pandemic, the lottery also significantly reduced the number of new games that were released, suspended most marketing activities and pulled field staff during the stay-at-home orders, which California enacted earlier than some other states.
The lottery also achieved an all-time high of $6.4 billion in Scratchers sales, which accounted for 76% of the overall record sales figure. The previous California Lottery overall sales record of nearly $7.4 billion was set in fiscal year 2018-19.
Typically, the lottery provides about 1% of total K-12 funding. Since its launch in 1985, the lottery has provided schools with more than $39 billion.