Annual Lottery Week Kicks Off July 11, 2021
Celebrating lotteries’ contributions to communities
WASHINGTON, DC - DC Lottery, in collaboration with lotteries across North America, has declared the week of July 11th as the third annual observance of Lottery Week, a celebration of lotteries across the United States and Canada, in acknowledgement of their collective contributions to the communities they serve.
On average, about 94% of funds generated from traditional U.S. lottery games goes directly back into the economy through prizes, public beneficiaries and retailer commissions. While individual jurisdictions vary, across the industry we estimate that lotteries return an average of 64.6% in prizes to players, 23.5% to public beneficiaries and 6.2% to retailer commissions. The remainder supports lottery operations, providing direct and indirect employment and other benefits.
Lottery proceeds fund different programs according to each jurisdiction’s guidelines and are dedicated to a variety of causes, including education, the environment, health care, capital construction projects, programs for seniors, cultural activities and more.
In fiscal year 2020, U.S. lotteries generated sales of over $89.6 billion, resulting in more than $23.7 billion for their beneficiaries.
But there’s more, beyond the numbers. Lottery organizations and their partners are often involved in directly supporting local causes as well, by hosting events like food drives and community cleanups. They team up with responsible gambling groups to educate their retailers and consumers, to help encourage safe, responsible play. And, of course, they provide a fun, exciting source of entertainment for all their players – not to mention a big payout for the lucky winners.
The goal of Lottery Week is to highlight these positive impacts that lotteries make and recognize the important role lotteries play in their jurisdictions.
“Lottery Week gives us the chance to celebrate the many contributions the D.C. Lottery continues to make to the vitality of District of Columbia. When you play DC Lottery games, we all win! Whether directly through our selection of fun and exciting games played in-store or online with DCiLottery, our partnerships with local nonprofits, as well as lottery proceeds transferred to the D.C. General Fund, we want all to know that the D.C. Lottery is woven into the fabric of the District’s entertainment culture,” says Director of Marketing and Communications Nicole Jordan.
Lottery Week evolved from an idea implemented by the Massachusetts Lottery in 2018. Declaring July 17, 2018 as the official National Lottery Day, Mass Lottery offered players and retailers a special day of exciting lottery promotions, celebrating the provision of billions of dollars in local aid provided since the state’s Lottery was created in 1972.
Since its inception in 1982, the DC Lottery has awarded more than $3.8 billion in prizes, transferred more than $2.14 billion to the District's General Fund which supports essential services in the District, and has helped local nonprofits raise more than $134 million in support of social causes.