The Michigan Lottery contributed a record $888.9 million to the state School Aid Fund in the 2016 fiscal year, a 12 percent increase from the previous record of $795.5 million set in 2015, according to preliminary results.
The 2016 contribution pushed the Lottery’s total support for public education since 1972 to more than $20.5 billion. It also was the 10th straight year that the Lottery has provided $700 million or more for public education in Michigan. For that 10-year span, the Lottery’s contributions total $7.6 billion.
The 2016 performance made the Michigan Lottery the fastest growing lottery in the nation. The record results were fueled by double-digit growth in the Lottery’s instant game portfolio, record player Powerball purchases from the $1.6 billion jackpot run in December and January, and strong performance from the Lottery’s online games, launched in 2014.
The Michigan Lottery also set several other major records in 2016:
- $3.1 billion in player purchases, eclipsing the previous mark of $2.8 billion from 2015
- Instant game purchases hit $1.1 billion, after topping $1 billion for the first time in 2015
- Players won $1.9 billion in prizes, up from $1.7 billion in 2015
- $231.7 million in commissions to retailers, breaking the previous mark of $203.6 million set in 2015
For each dollar spent on a Michigan Lottery ticket in 2016, approximately:
- 29 cents went to the School Aid Fund
- 59 cents went to prizes for players
- 9 cents went to commissions for vendors and retailers, many of them family-owned businesses
- 3 cents supported the Lottery’s ongoing operations and administrative costs
Under state law, all net proceeds from Michigan Lottery games go to the state School Aid Fund. The Lottery contributions comprise about 7.5 percent of the fund.
