NASHVILLE - The Tennessee lottery hit "record-shattering" totals in ticket sales during the fiscal year ending June 30, officials said.
The program saw a 10.2 percent jump, or extra $30 million, raised for state education programs, Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. officials said today.
Officials said in a news release that funds available for lottery-funded college scholarships and other programs rose from $293.4 million to $323.4 million.
With more than $1.31 billion in total sales for fiscal year 2012, the lottery shot past last year's previous sales record of $1.18 billion, an increase of more than $124.6 million.
Lottery officials "continue to hone our business model, developing new and innovative product offerings for the playing public, expanding our retailer base, emphasizing customer service, and operating at all times with efficiency and the utmost integrity," lottery President and CEO Rebecca Hargrove said in a news release.
According to data from Tennessee Student Assistance Corp., the entity that oversees lottery-funded programs, more than 600,000 grants or scholarships to in-state education institutions have been awarded since the lottery's inception in 2004, including more than 100,000 recipients during the past academic year.
For more details, see tomorrow's Times Free Press.