North Carolina Education Lottery raises record amounts for state causes

The North Carolina Education Lottery has announced it has raised a record amount of money for the state after profits for the fiscal year, ending June 30, reached $936m, according to a report from WITN.
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The North Carolina Education Lottery has announced it has raised a record amount of money for the state after profits for the fiscal year, ending June 30, reached $936m, according to a report from WITN.

The money raised will be used across the state to help build and repair schools, create university scholarships for underprivileged students, support school systems with costs of school workers, and support NC Pre-K, a free preschool program for at-risk and vulnerable four-year-olds.

The historic profits stem from record-breaking sales, with lottery ticket sales reaching $3.8bn, a 26% increase from the previous year.

Executive Director Mark Michalko attributes the success to the pandemic, claiming people turned towards the lottery as a source of entertainment throughout the lockdowns. 

“Just like other sales and marketing brands, we faced multiple challenges during these unusual times,” he said.

“We succeeded thanks to the loyalty of lottery players, the support of our retailers all across our state, and a tremendous effort by the lottery staff to find ways to safely complete our mission in raising money for education.”

The lottery paid out record sums across the year with $2.4bn making its way to winners. Retailers earned $262m from lottery tickets, almost 25% more than last year.

On average, the lottery raised over $2.5m per day for the local communities throughout the year. Since its inception in March 2006, it has contributed more than $8.2bn.