What and who do lottery revenues benefit?
Lottery winnings benefit different programs in different jurisdictions. In many cases lottery winnings are combined with tax and other revenues in a government’s general fund. In other cases lottery proceeds are dedicated to a wide range of causes, including education, economic development, the environment, programs for senior citizens, health care, sports facilities, capital construction projects, cultural activities, tax relief, and others. Who decides where the money goes? In a few cases the recipients of lottery winnings are specified in a jurisdiction’s constitution, but in most cases this decision is up to that state or province’s elected officials. Do lotteries really benefit education? First, not every jurisdiction dedicates lottery proceeds to education; in fact, less than half do. In many places where there is a dedication to education, state education spending has risen but other parts of the budget have risen faster. Education is therefore a smaller proportion of the budget
