Gambling in Minnesota: Betting big

Year state voters approved a constitutional amendment to authorize the lottery              1988

Percentage of adults in 2016 who bought a lottery ticket                               46

                Total lottery sales in Fiscal Year 2016 (a new record)         $592 million

                Scratch ticket sales last year        $394.8 million

Since 1990, amount of money the lottery has raised for the state coffers              $2.7 billion

Amount lottery partners (grocery, convenience and retail stores) earned through lottery commissions and incentives           $34 million

                Average annual retailer compensation for lottery sales  $11,719

                Percentage of prizes paid out to purchasers        62

Licensed charities in Minnesota for lawful gambling         1,170

Percentage of charitable gambling nonprofits made up by veterans organizations             27.3

Charitable gambling gross sales last year (a new record) $1.5 billion

                Charitable gambling prizes paid out last year (a new record)        $1.3 billion

Net receipts available to charities last year           $252.3 million

                Amount of money from charitable gambling going to youth organizations last year           $9 million

Number of calls the Minnesota Problem Gambling Helpline reported in 2016       725

                Percentage of callers ages 35-50               43

                Percentage of calls reporting pull-tab, lottery concerns  7, 5

Sources: The Minnesota Lottery’s report to the House State Government Finance Committee, the Lottery’s 2016 highlights, Minnesota Gambling Control Board Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Report, Minnesota Department of Human Services February 2017 report on problem gambling.