Post Powerball fever - Where lottery money goes in Florida:
Bottom Line: On back of Powerball fever, as the 2nd largest jackpot ever was up for grabs at astronomical odds (1 in 292 million), the question was raised regarding where the lottery money goes. This has been a hot topic over the course of time as many have alleged that Florida hasn't kept it's promise to ensure that education is the biggest recipient. However, every time I've ever looked into the gravy train over the years, Florida's delivered the overwhelming amount of lottery money back to education within the state. The Powerball adds another layer of complication to the process but here's how the "profits" of the Powerball are distributed for Floridians.
Each state gets a percentage of the profits based on the share of sales came from that state. At last check Florida's sales were 2nd highest nationally, so we can expect to receive the 2nd largest share of the proceeds. Once the state receives the money here's how Florida distributes it according to the latest info from the Florida Lottery:
- 63.8% paid to winners
- 27.9% education
- 5.6% to retailers
- 1.4% to ticket vendors
- 1.3% admin fees
So...77% of the proceeds for Florida go directly to education within the state.
Last year these were the actual dollars that went from the Florida lottery to SFL counties:
- Palm Beach: $54.7 million
- Broward: $57.6 million
- Miami-Dade: $116.9 million