FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOISE, Idaho – During a public ceremony at Emmett Middle School, the Idaho Lottery commemorated their record-breaking 34th anniversary by returning the single largest dividend in history to the people of Idaho. The Idaho Lottery Commission presented Governor Brad Little with an $82,000,000 dividend check, a 12.3% increase over last year’s dividend.

“The Idaho Lottery makes a difference in every community in Idaho: for our citizens, for our small businesses, and most importantly, where it matters most, in our classrooms. Our schools and the state’s permanent facilities are the real winners. The Idaho Lottery’s Do Good initiatives today will bring continued benefits for tomorrow’s classrooms,” Governor Brad Little said.

Idaho Lottery dividends are used by school districts for building maintenance, repairs, and operational projects. This summer, the Emmett Independent School District concluded safety remediation efforts and is now renovating the original 1957-era restroom facilities on both floors at Emmett Middle School.

“The project being completed at Emmett Middle School is funded, in part, by the Lottery’s dividend to the Emmett Independent School District. We are witnessing the reason why the Idaho Lottery was created by a vote of the people,” said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Director. “Each year, Lottery dividends deliver meaningful projects, like this one, that improve student safety and can lead to scholastic achievement.”

Governor Little and Idaho Lottery Commission Chairman, Craig Corbett, awarded the largest single check ever from the Idaho Lottery to support public education in the Gem State. Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield accepted a check for $51,250,000. Of this amount, $30,750,000 goes to the School Building Fund Account for maintenance and operations projects and another $20,500,000 goes to the Department of Education’s Bond Levy Equalization Fund to pay the interest on Idaho’s Public School bonds.

“As Idaho’s schools age and costs of maintenance continue to grow, Idaho Lottery funds play a crucial role in ensuring facility safety for our students, staff, and patrons,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield. “Communities across Idaho will enjoy the benefits brought by funding from the Idaho Lottery. Thank you.”

Dale Reynolds, Chairman of the Permanent Building Fund Advisory Council, accepted a check for $30,750,000 on behalf of the State’s Permanent Building Fund. Permanent Building Fund dollars support maintenance and capital projects for State-owned facilities and Idaho’s public college and university buildings.

"The Idaho Lottery continually exceeds expectations to provide meaningful and necessary funding to support the Permanent Building Fund,” said Reynolds. “With the support of these dividends, we provide essential maintenance, repair, and facility enhancements that promote education and support our state infrastructure of buildings.”

This year’s dividend comes after the single largest sales year for the Idaho Lottery, exceeding $422 million in revenue for the first time.

“This is all made possible with funds from the Idaho Lottery, not tax dollars,” added Anderson.

In addition to the dividend and sales records, the Idaho Lottery also awarded a record amount in prizes to players worth $285.9 million, and the Lottery’s network of 1,200 brick and mortar retail locations earned a record $24.7 million in commissions.

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ABOUT THE IDAHO LOTTERY

The Idaho Lottery responsibly provides a variety of entertaining games featuring Powerball, Mega Millions, Scratch GamesTM, and PullTabs with a high degree of integrity to maximize the dividend for Idaho public schools and the permanent building fund. Since their inception in 1989, the Idaho Lottery has sold over $5.4 billion in products, awarded more than $3.1 billion in prizes to players, returned $317 million in retail commissions, and distributed $1.189 billion in Lottery dividends to Idaho public schools and buildings. To learn more, please visit www.idaholottery.com.