RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — More and more people are hoping to win big by playing the Virginia Lottery.
On Wednesday, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia) announced that in the 12 months that ended on June 30th, the Virginia Lottery sold more than $5.5 billion worth of games in fiscal year 2024, generating $934 million in profit.
“It’s a win for K-12 education,” Youngkin said. “It’s a win for Virginia’s families and Virginia’s kids. It’s a win for Virginia.”
Youngkin added that because lottery profits help fund K-12 education, more money will be going toward retaining teachers and improving technology and student outcomes across Virginia.
“We also have a moment for us to celebrate this level of support for the top priority in the Commonwealth of Virginia which is to make sure that Virginia’s kids get the best education possible,” he said.
However, it’s not all good news. A recent study from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism points out that state lotteries often disproportionately hurt low-income and minority communities.
“The state lottery is presenting a false opportunity that somehow they are going to win money on games that are literally stacked against them, “ Les Bernal, National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, told 8News.
Plus, the study found that the claim that state lotteries help fund education often “doesn’t hold up” because “lotteries often compound inequities by disproportionately benefiting college students and wealthier school districts far from the neighborhoods that fund ticket sales.”
“I want my kids to have the best education possible, but I don’t want some person to suffer an incredible gambling addiction or stay in poverty as a result of my kids having an opportunity,” Bernal said.
Virginia Lottery tells 8News that their research shows that people of all demographics and income levels play the lottery at around the same rate.
