The Idaho Lottery may not have had a record year of sales. However, the organization did contribute a record dividend to the state in fiscal year 2024.
Total sales dropped by a small margin of just 0.4% in FY24.
Lottery draw games carried the weight with a near 8% increase for the year, while scratch sales reduced by over 4%.
Despite that, the state lottery’s dividends grew by 2.4% to a record-setting $84 million.
Idaho Lottery hits $421 million in sales
The Idaho Lottery released its unaudited FY24 sales data to PlayiLottery last week via our request.
The FY24 final sales total was listed at just under $421 million. That was down 0.37% from the $422.5 million it recorded in FY23.
The reason behind the overall decline in sales was scratch tickets. Like many other states we have seen, scratcher sales dropped notably in FY24. For Idaho, it was more than a 4% decrease from just under $253 million to $242.7 million.
Draw games also followed the national trend in Idaho. This year, the state saw just under $96 million in sales from its draw options. That was up 7.9% from the $88.9 million it recorded in FY23.
The Idaho Lottery is not among the states with online lotteries. However, the state is included in those offering Jackpocket as a courier option.
Jackpocket offers online sales of retail draw games in Idaho.
Idaho receives $84 million from lottery contributions
Though sales didn’t hit a record total, the dividend to the state was a new top mark.
In FY24, the Idaho Lottery contributed $84 million back to residents through a pair of funds.
That total was up 2.4% from FY23’s $82 million.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little touched on the continuing contributions of the Idaho Lottery in a press release on the record dividend:
“In 1988, Idahoans voted at the ballot box and approved establishing a state lottery to benefit public education. The lottery has been a success for players, and it has created economic opportunity for Idaho businesses. Most importantly, the lottery team has contributed nearly $1.3 billion for the benefit of Idaho public schools and buildings.”
In the past, Idaho Lottery dividends were almost exclusively used for educational funds. However, that was changed during the 2024 legislative session.
Of the $84 million in contributions, $52.5 million went to support public education. The Permanent Building Fund also received $31.5 million.
This fund supports maintenance and capital projects for state-owned facilities, public colleges, and university buildings in Idaho.
On top of the contributions to the state, the Idaho Lottery also reported that retailers earned a combined $24.7 million in commissions for FY24.
Photo by Mehaniq via Shutterstock
Graphic from the Idaho Lottery
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