BOISE, Idaho ÔÇô The Idaho Lottery returned their twenty-eighth annual dividend to the People of Idaho during a ceremony this afternoon at the State Capitol. Led by Idaho Lottery Director Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery Commission Chairman Mel Fisher and the Idaho State Lottery Commission presented Lt. Governor Brad Little with a check for this year's dividend of $48.5 million. Over their 28 year history, including this year's dividend, the Idaho Lottery has returned $792.5 million for the benefit of Idaho public education, the State's Permanent Building Fund, and the Department of Education's Bond Levy Equalization Fund.

"The Idaho Lottery has been providing an important resource to our schools since it began 28 years ago," Lt. Governor Little said.

"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 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 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 the ceremony, Lt. Governor Little presented Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra with a $30,312,500 dividend check. Of that, $18,187,500 is earmarked for the Department of Education for use by the districts in their public schools and the remaining $12,125,000 goes to the Department's Bond Levy Equalization Fund. Since inception, the Idaho Lottery has contributed $433.15 million to these accounts in support of Public Education in Idaho.

"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," Superintendent Sherri 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."

Lt. Governor Little also presented Jan Frew, the Department of Administration's Director of Public Works, with a dividend check for $18,187,500. Since 1989, the Idaho Lottery has returned $359,350,000 to support Idaho's permanent buildings.

"This year's dividend would not have been possible without the support of our dedicated, statewide network of nearly 1,200 retail locations who earned their two hundred millionth dollar in commissions this year, and the continued support from our players who participate voluntarily," added Anderson.

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ABOUT THE IDAHO LOTTERY
The Idaho Lottery responsibly provides a variety of entertaining games featuring Powerball, Mega Millions, Scratch Games^TM, 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 $3.4 billion in products, awarded over $2 billion in prizes to players, returned $200 million in retail commissions, and distributed $792.5 million in Lottery dividends to Idaho public schools and the Permanent Building Fund. To learn more, please visit www.idaholottery.com.