COLUMBIA, SC (January 6, 2011) – In 2000, South Carolina’s voters made a decisive step forward in opening educational opportunities for the citizens of the Palmetto State by approving a state lottery. On January 7, 2002, the South Carolina Education Lottery launched with four instant tickets. In the last fiscal year, the Lottery offered 68 different instant tickets as well as five number games: Pick 3, Pick 4, Palmetto Cash 5, Powerball® and Mega Millions®. Sales of these lottery games have generated the funding necessary to provide more than 920,000 scholarships and grants to students in South Carolina attending an in-state college or university for academic years 2002-2010.
“Here at the Lottery, everything we do is about education. It is an exciting and fun business, but our bottom line is to increase the funding we can provide for the students of South Carolina,” commented Lottery Director Paula Harper Bethea. “We thank our customers, retailers and business partners for helping us to have ‘billions’ of reasons to celebrate the Lottery’s 9th anniversary. Without their support, the Lottery would not have been able to provide the capital necessary to support the many lottery-funded educational programs and financial aid opportunities benefiting our state.”
In Fiscal Year 2009-10, for every dollar earned by the Lottery, approximately 26.9 percent was transferred to the Education Lottery Account for appropriation by the General Assembly to support education. More than $2.5 billion has been appropriated since startup through June 2011, including $2.5 million appropriated to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services to provide Gambling Addiction Services.
How is education winning with the Lottery? Here’s a brief outline:
o Higher Education Programs and Scholarships have received more than $1.876 billion.
○ K-12 programs received more than $599 million.
○ More than $62 million has been appropriated to Community Education Programs.
(Figures above represent appropriations from 2002 through 2011.)
After nine successful years, lottery proceeds are helping to build opportunities for students of all ages in South Carolina. With the help of its players and retailers, the Lottery looks forward to another successful year of generating proceeds to support education in 2011.
For more information contact:
Julie Huffman
SCEL Beneficiary Communications Coordinator
Office: (803) 737-2696 Cell: (803) 667-2848 Fax: (803) 737-2687
Julie.huffman@sclot.com
“Here at the Lottery, everything we do is about education. It is an exciting and fun business, but our bottom line is to increase the funding we can provide for the students of South Carolina,” commented Lottery Director Paula Harper Bethea. “We thank our customers, retailers and business partners for helping us to have ‘billions’ of reasons to celebrate the Lottery’s 9th anniversary. Without their support, the Lottery would not have been able to provide the capital necessary to support the many lottery-funded educational programs and financial aid opportunities benefiting our state.”
In Fiscal Year 2009-10, for every dollar earned by the Lottery, approximately 26.9 percent was transferred to the Education Lottery Account for appropriation by the General Assembly to support education. More than $2.5 billion has been appropriated since startup through June 2011, including $2.5 million appropriated to the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services to provide Gambling Addiction Services.
How is education winning with the Lottery? Here’s a brief outline:
o Higher Education Programs and Scholarships have received more than $1.876 billion.
○ K-12 programs received more than $599 million.
○ More than $62 million has been appropriated to Community Education Programs.
(Figures above represent appropriations from 2002 through 2011.)
After nine successful years, lottery proceeds are helping to build opportunities for students of all ages in South Carolina. With the help of its players and retailers, the Lottery looks forward to another successful year of generating proceeds to support education in 2011.
For more information contact:
Julie Huffman
SCEL Beneficiary Communications Coordinator
Office: (803) 737-2696 Cell: (803) 667-2848 Fax: (803) 737-2687
Julie.huffman@sclot.com
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