South Carolina Lottery: S.C. Lottery marks 3rd anniversary
$2.4 billion in sales have generated $713 million for education
The South Carolina Education Lottery marked its third anniversary last week.
Since the lottery's creation, total ticket sales have exceeded $2.4 billion, and players have won more than $1.4 billion. State income tax collected on winnings over $500 totaled more than $18 million.
In addition, the lottery has transferred more than $713 million to the Education Lottery Account for appropriation by the state legislature.
"To put a face on our state's lottery, I think of over 300,000 lottery scholarships, millions of dollars to fund research at Clemson, USC and MUSC, $276 million for the public schools and millions more for our county libraries; this is the heart of what we do at SCEL," said lottery Executive Director Ernie Passailaigue.
K-12 programs have received more than $266.7 million in appropriations from lottery money. More than $534 million has gone to higher education and more than $8.2 million to public libraries.
Next month, the lottery plans to introduce a new five-digit game, Palmetto Cash 5, that allows players to win up to $500,000.
Lottery officials say they expect to transfer their one billionth dollar for education sometime during fiscal year 2006.