Lottery pays Idaho $48.5 million dividend

The Idaho Lottery marked its 28th year Thursday by presenting the state a check for this year’s dividend of $48.5 million. Including this year’s dividend, the Idaho Lottery has returned a total of $792.5 million to the state for the benefit of Idaho public education, the state’s Permanent Building Fund, and the Department of Education’s Bond Levy Equalization Fund. “It has been a good year for the Idaho Lottery and our accomplishments come as the direct result of solid, professional management and teamwork by the Idaho Lottery and our vendor partners,” said Lottery Director Jeff Anderson. “A year ago, Idaho and the rest of the country experienced a $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot phenomenon that boosted sales and increased our dividend. Originally, we anticipated a decline in sales for the fiscal year 2017. We created a business plan to overcome this anomaly and it worked. Not only have we exceeded last year’s sales without the benefit of a billion dollar jackpot, today we are returning a dividend that is $500,000 more than we originally forecast.” During Thursday’s ceremony, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra received a $30,312,500 check. “With the efforts of the Idaho Lottery, and responsible participation from Idahoans, we continue to see strong distributions that will provide additional funding for schools,” Ybarra said. “We look forward to how this disbursement will positively impact schools, and how it will continue to provide support in the future for schools and students to achieve.” The Idaho Lottery is supported by approximately 1,200 retail locations across the state. Those retailers earned their two-hundred-millionth dollar in commissions this year.