Minnesota Lottery
Welcome to the Minnesota State Lottery’s 2009 Overview. The purpose of this document is
to provide some general information about the Lottery. You will find financial information
for Fiscal Year 2008; a summary of the Lottery’s contributions to the state; descriptions of
the Lottery’s operation, games and retailer network and a discussion of the Lottery’s efforts
relating to problem gambling treatment and prevention. You will also find information about
gambling in Minnesota and throughout the United States.
Minnesota Lottery Games
Minnesota Powerball,
Minnesota Hot Lotto,
Minnesota Gopher 5,
Minnesota Northstar Cash,
Distribution of Lottery Revenues
The bulk of lottery revenue (61 percent) is returned to players as prizes. Prize payments
in Fiscal Year 2008 alone exceeded $279 million. Since April 1990, players have won
over $4.0 billion in prizes.
Retailers earn 5.5 percent on each dollar of sales and 1 percent of each prize redeemed at
their store. They are also eligible to receive additional income through a variety of
incentive programs. Since the Lottery began, retailers have earned more than $407
million from the sale of lottery products.
In Fiscal Year 2008, the Lottery spent 5 percent of total revenue on operations, returning
$3.2 million in unspent operating funds to the state. Since inception, the Lottery has
returned $130.9 million in authorized, but unspent operating funds.
The Lottery will continue to aggressively pursue operating expense reductions while
recognizing that prudent investments in technology, marketing, research and other areas
can lead to higher revenues, greater efficiency and enhanced security.
Managed by Multi-State Lottery Association.