SACRAMENTO – California proved to be a state of winning for players of the California Lottery in 2008. Over $1.43 billion in prize money was won by Californians during the year. In total there were 137 million winning tickets.
“We are excited to have this many winners,” said California Lottery Director Joan Borucki. “In the coming year, we plan to have even more!”
For Super LOTTO Plus players, there were more than 11 million winning tickets sold.
Contestants on “The Big Spin” Show® accounted for 593 of these winning experiences. Two contestants spun the wheel and won $1 million in 2008 while the total prize amount awarded to contestants was $12,862,500.
More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed nearly $21 billion to California schools out of total sales of more than $56 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.6 billion in compensation since 1985.
Please remember to use the new and exciting California Lottery logo. It can be found at www.calottery.com/styleguide.
A State of Winning
Winner Statistics for the Calendar Year 2008
Number of Winning Experiences in 2008:
• There were a total of 137 million winning tickets sold.*
SuperLOTTO Plus in 2008:
• For Super LOTTO Plus, there were more than 11 million winning tickets sold. **
Amount Won by Lottery Winners in 2008:
• Over $1.43 billion in prize money was won by Californians in 2008.
“The Big Spin®” Show in 2008:
• There were 593 contestants with winnings totaling $12,862,500
• There were two people who won $1 million on the prize wheel
Details about the Source Data:
• It covers the time period from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008.
• For Scratchers, it is based on tickets claimed during this time period.
• For the draw games, it is based on winners (regardless if claimed or not) from draws during this time period.
• The number of wins as well as the total amount of prize money won excludes any instances where the prize was equal to the price of the ticket.
• Included in the above totals are the statistics for our lucky contestants on the TV Show.
* We do not know how many people were winners as players could have multiple wins during the year. Also included in the total are the statistics for our lucky contestants on “The Big Spin” Show
** The figures for Super LOTTO Plus use the cash amount for the prize money (not the annuitized jackpot figure since most take the cash option)