Lansing, Michigan – Governor Gretchen Whitmer said that the Michigan Lottery gave the state’s School Aid Fund more than $1 billion for the eighth year in a row. This is a major source of funding for public education. The amount given for fiscal year 2025 was $1.16 billion, which shows how the Lottery has been helping pay for schools in Michigan for a long time.
The most recent donation brings the total amount of money the Lottery has given to public schools since the program started in 1972 to more than $30 billion. In the last seven fiscal years alone, Lottery transfers to the School Aid Fund have totaled almost $8.7 billion.
This shows that sales and participation have continued to rise. State leaders say such money helps make school budgets stronger at a time when investing in students and teachers continues to be a top priority.
Whitmer noted that the Lottery cash is part of a bigger effort to boost education across the state. She talked about record-high financing of more than $10,000 per student, free breakfast and lunch for all students, and more money being put into programs to help kids learn to read and write earlier.
The governor claims the Lottery money is essential for keeping such programs alive and making sure that schools have the money they need from pre-kindergarten to high school graduation.
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Acting Lottery Commissioner Joe Froehlich credited the Lottery’s employees and retail partners for the milestone.
“The Lottery team is extremely dedicated to our mission of providing funds to support public education in Michigan. We are especially proud of our record-breaking seventh consecutive yearly contribution of more than $1 billion to the School Aid Fund,” said Acting Lottery Commissioner Joe Froehlich.
“I am also very proud of the support we provide to local businesses across Michigan. In FY25, Lottery retailers earned more than $300 million in commissions for the sixth straight year. The support the Lottery provides to public education and to businesses throughout the state is critical and far-reaching.”
Since the Lottery started giving away a billion dollars a year in FY19, retailers have witnessed continuous growth. They have made more than $2.3 billion in commissions during that time. There are more than 10,000 places in the state where you can buy lottery tickets. In FY25, more than 700 stores each sold at least $1 million worth of tickets.
Players also made a lot of money. During FY25, Michiganders won more than $2.8 billion in prizes. Since 1972, the total amount of prizes handed out has been over $58 billion.
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Officials from the state said that, on average, participants got back 63 cents of every dollar spent on the lottery, and 25 cents went to public education. The rest of the money went to retailer commissions and running the Lottery. By state legislation, all profits went to the School Aid Fund.
The Lottery is also committed to promoting responsible gaming. Responsible gaming information and resources are available on the Lottery’s website at: www.michiganlottery.com/responsible-gaming.