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VERIFY: Does Texas lottery money go to schools?

The Texas state legislature voted to create a lottery 25 years ago. At the time a lot of people believed all the money raised would go to fund education in Texas, but did that happen?

The Texas state legislature voted to create a lottery 25 years ago. At the time, many people believed all the money raised would go to fund education in Texas, but did that happen?

Our Verify Team took a closer look and tracked down the numbers.

Here's what we found:

Between 1992 and 1997 revenue from the lottery did not go directly to education. Instead, it went straight into the state's general fund which meant it could be used for any expense.

But according to numbers released by the lottery, that has changed and today it is allocated as follows.

  • 72 percent goes to prize payouts, administration and retailer prizes
  • 27 percent goes to education
  • .4 percent goes to the veteran assistance fund and other state programs

The most recent audit shows in the fiscal year for 2016 that $1.4 billion went towards education, but total sales were over $5 billion.

In conclusion, we can verify some lottery money does go to the schools, but not all of it.

VERIFY: Resources

Texas Lottery Commission- Summary Financial Information

Texas Lottery Commission- Supporting Education and Veterans

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