As reported by online news provider ONFOCUS, in collaboration with fellow lotteries across the US, the Wisconsin Lottery has been celebrating annual Lottery Week.
Described as a celebration of lotteries across the United States and Canada with the goal of highlighting the positive impact of lotteries, Lottery Week is an acknowledgement of the collective contributions to the communities served by lotto operators in North America.
These positive impacts see roughly 95% of funds generated from traditional US lottery games pumped directly back into the economy through prizes, public beneficiaries and retailer commissions.
Across the industry, on average this is split with roughly 64.3% returning to players in the form of prizes, with public beneficiaries receiving 25.1% and 6.1% going to retailer commissions. The remainder supports lottery operations, providing direct and indirect employment and other benefits.
Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin, stated in the report: “To our retailers, players, and staff, I can’t say a big enough thank you for all that you do. Working together, we are fulfilling our mission of achieving the greatest possible property tax relief for Wisconsin taxpayers.”
Another example of the positive impacts of the lotteries also sees lottery proceeds fund different programs, which are decided on depending on the jurisdiction’s guidelines.
These programs and causes include investment into education, the environment, health care, capital construction projects, programs for seniors, cultural activities and more.
In fact, throughout the 2019 fiscal year, US lotteries generated $25.1bn for those good causes and transferred about $5bn to retailer partners.
Regarding the Wisconsin Lottery, since its 1988 inception the operator has generated over $15.3bn in total revenue, with over $4.6bn having been distributed to Wisconsin homeowners as property tax credits – In 2019 alone, the lottery distributed over $271m to the organisation, 15% higher than the previous year.
