The Florida Lottery

The Florida Lottery - Facts

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Florida Lottery - About Us - Facts

ABOUT US

	TIMELINE
	Mission Statement: The Florida Lottery was created to allow the people of the state to benefit from significant additional moneys for education while playing the best lottery games available. The mission of the Florida Lottery is to maximize revenues in a manner consistent with the dignity of the state and the welfare of its citizens.

			2009
	Jan 4		The Florida Lottery joined the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and launched POWERBALL®

			2008
	Aug 19		The Florida Lottery transfers $96,008,000 to the EETF, bringing the Lottery's total education contributions to exceed the $19 billion mark.


	Jun 30		The $5 raffle game Summer Cash™ begins. During the eight-week game period, players have the chance to win one of eight $250,000 prizes, 40 gas-for-life prizes, 400 gas-for-a-year prizes and more than 100,000 instant cash prizes of $25.


	May 19		CASH 3™ and PLAY 4™ add midday draws at 1:30 p.m., offering players two daily chances to play and win!

	Mar 2		FLORIDA LOTTO™ began offering $2 and $3 LOTTO PLUS™ tickets, which allow players to add millions more to their jackpot!

	Jan 21		The Florida Lottery’s first $30 Scratch-Off game, $600 MILLION HIGH ROLLER, debuts. The game includes 20 top prizes of $1 million and offers winners of the $1,000 and $20,000 prizes a chance to win an additional $20 million in a grand prize drawing.

	Jan 12		The Florida Lottery celebrates its 20th anniversary! Events are held in district office locations throughout the state for players to join in the celebration.


			2007

	Dec 29		The second Holiday MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE™ drawing takes place, making 12 lucky winners new millionaires and offering 25 prizes of $100,000 and 200 prizes of $10,000.


	Nov 19		The Florida Lottery transfers $96,446,000 to the EETF, bringing the Lottery’s total education contributions to exceed the $18 billion mark.


	Jul 10		The Florida Lottery launches the LIFE family of Scratch-Off games, in which players could win annuity prizes, payable once per year over the life of the winner – whether that’s 20 years, 50 years or more.


	Jul 4		The Firecracker MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE™ drawing takes place, making 12 lucky winners new millionaires and offering 25 prizes of $100,000 and 200 prizes of $10,000 .


	Jun 13		Governor Crist signs Senate Bill 1376, granting the Florida Lottery authority to apply for and hold patents for unique lottery games, play styles, methods and systems that are developed by the Lottery’s product development specialists.



	Mar 5		The Florida Lottery introduces CARS & CASH, a limited-time promotion offering the opportunity to win a total of six $250,000 cash prizes and 42 Ford vehicles.


	Jan 23		$20 MILLION DOLLAR MONOPOLY Scratch-Off ticket debuts. Just 10 days later, (Feb 2) 90 year old Myrna Fonda claims the first of six $1 million top prizes.


	Jan 19		The Florida Lottery transfers $96,360,000 to the EETF, bringing the Lottery’s total education contributions to exceed the $17 billion mark.


	Jan 2		Governor Charlie Christ appoints Leo DiBenigno as the sixth secretary of the Florida Lottery.

	Jan 1		Holiday MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE™ drawing takes place New Year’s Day awarding 130 winners more than $13 million in prizes. Ten lucky players receive one million dollars apiece, the highest number of millionaires in a single drawing in the history of the Florida Lottery. The game, which started Nov. 20, sold out in 11 days.




			2006

	Dec 3		CASH 3™ number 7-7-7 produces 18,542 winners and $4,545,275 in prize payouts in a single day. It also marks the third time this year a triplet CASH 3 number is drawn (9-9-9 drawn in July, 3-3-3 drawn in April).


	Jul 3		The Florida Lottery unites with racecar giant International Speedway Corporation to launch its first ever Race for Cash promotion offering players more than $2 million in prizes and travel packages to NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Race events.


	Apr 19		Two FLORIDA LOTTO™ players share the fourth highest jackpot of $87.9 million after 10 rollovers. The advertised jackpot was $82 million, but strong sales push the actual payoff much higher. Both winners use Quick Pick to choose the six winning numbers.


	Mar 20		The Florida Lottery introduces an exciting new playing option called EZmatch™ to enhance FANTASY 5® allowing players to win up to $500 instantly.


	Feb 20		Florida Lottery retailers start receiving increased bonus commission for selling a winning FLORIDA LOTTO™, MEGA MONEY™, or FANTASY 5® top prize ticket.



			2005

	Nov 21		The Florida Lottery launches its Cash for the Holidays promotion. An estimated 900,000 players across Florida enter the special Cash for the Holidays New Year’s Eve drawing. One lucky player wins the $1 million jackpot and 10 players win $1,000 each.

	Oct 1		Forty players share FANTASY 5® top prize, topping the previous record number of top prizewinners for one FANTASY 5 drawing, which was set in January when 25 prizewinners shared the top prize.


	Feb 3		The Florida Lottery conducts three days of live drawings held in conjunction with Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, only three days after launch of the new gaming system.


	Jan 31		The Florida Lottery and GTECH Corporation launch the most successful gaming system conversion in lottery history.

	Jan 31		The new GROUPER® playstyle is introduced and it produces $1.3 million in sales during the first week of sales.


			2004

	Oct 28		Florida Lottery Secretary Rebecca Dirden Mattingly dedicates a new Florida Lottery Reading Room to participants and families in a Leon County Boys and Girls Club.

	Aug 12		An estimated $15 million FLORIDA LOTTO™ ticket, sold in St. Petersburg, remains unclaimed after the 180-day redemption deadline.


	Jun 30		Tickets sales, for fiscal year 2003-2004, exceed $3 billion for the first time in the history of the Florida Lottery.


	Jun 29		GOLD RUSH, the first $20 Scratch-Off game, launches and sales exceed $3.7 million in the first week.

	Jan 30		Changes are made to the Florida Lottery’s newest On-line game MEGA MONEY by increasing the starting jackpot to $500,000 for each drawing and climbing to $2 million, increasing lower tier prize payouts, adding two new prize levels and a free MEGA MONEY ticket for matching only the MEGABALL. The overall odds are improved and the game matrix is changed to (1 out of 44) and (1 out of 22) for the MEGABALL.





			2003

	Nov 11		The largest unclaimed FLORIDA LOTTO™ ticket, an estimated $53.7 million, ($30.1 million Cash Option) sold in North Bay Village, expires after the 180-day redemption deadline. A special one-time deposit was made into the EETF in the amount of $30.1 million.



	Nov 8		The Florida Lottery launches its first Internet second chance promotion, SHOPPING SPREE CASH, for players purchasing $5 worth of non-winning FLORIDA LOTTO™, MEGA MONEY™, or FANTASY 5® tickets.


	Mar 5		Governor Jeb Bush appoints Rebecca Dirden Mattingly the fourth permanent Secretary of the Florida Lottery.

	Jan 12		The Florida Lottery celebrates its 15th anniversary with $12.50 billion in transfers to the EETF and $30 billion in gross tickets sales.
	Jan 12


			2002

	Dec 14		The second highest FLORIDA LOTTO™ jackpot estimated at $104.85 million is shared between four winning tickets.

	Sep 7		Seven FLORIDA LOTTO™ players share the third highest jackpot, of $87.81 million, created from a record of 10 rollovers. Each player used personal numbers to select the winning numbers.
	Sep 7

	Jun 25		A transfer of $926 million into the EETF, brings total education contributions to $12 billion. The Florida Lottery reached the $12 billion milestone faster than any other state Lottery. This achievement followed a record year of $2,330,365,000 in net ticket sales.

	Mar 10		The PLAY 4™ winning numbers, 0-0-0-0, produce a record 1,182 winners and a record $4,402,500 payout.

	Jan 19		Four winners share $87.63 million, the third-highest jackpot in FLORIDA LOTTO™ history. Each winner used the Quick Pick feature to select the winning numbers. The tickets were purchased in Brooksville, Jacksonville, Miami and Wellington.


			2001

	Oct 19		An estimated $7 million FLORIDA LOTTO™ ticket sold in Fern Park remains unclaimed after the 180-day redemption deadline.

	Sep 13		The largest FLORIDA LOTTO™ jackpot won by a single winner, an estimated $56.37 million, is claimed by Shirley Press of Miami Beach. Press broke the previous 13-year single-winner record set by Sheelah Ryan, who won $55.16 million.
	Sep 13

	Jun 5		The Lottery launches the $2 Scratch-Off game, GOLF & CASH, in partnership with Top Flite®.

	May 1		In partnership with Universal Studios the Lottery launches the $1 Scratch-Off game FAME, FORTUNE & ADVENTURE.

	Apr 3		The $2 Scratch-Off game, CRUISE & CASH, launches in partnership with Carnival Cruise Lines®.

	Feb 8		The HARLEY-DAVIDSON Scratch-Off game launches offering Harley-Davidson motorcycles as prizes.


			2000

	May 12		The Florida Lottery becomes the first state lottery to transfer $10 billion (to education) in a 12-year span of operation.

	Apr 28		TThe Florida Lottery partners with Universal Studios Orlando to introduce the MEN IN BLACK® Alien Attack® Scratch-Off ticket. The game sells 3.5 million tickets during the first seven weeks after launch.



			1999

	Jun 17		Governor Jeb Bush appoints David Griffin as the third Secretary of the Florida Lottery.

	Mar 18		The Florida Lottery sets a North American state lottery record for transferring $9 billion to the EETF after only 11 years of operation.

	Jan 11		Governor Jeb Bush appoints Miami attorney Sue M. Cobb as interim Secretary of the Florida Lottery.


			1998

	Nov 9		The first $5 Scratch-Off game, 12 WAYS TO CELEBRATE, launches.

	Oct 21		The Florida Lottery offers winners a Cash Option (Lump Sum) for their jackpot winnings.

	Feb 25		The Florida Lottery introduces MEGA MONEY™.

	Jan 12		The Florida Lottery celebrates its 10th anniversary - with a life-to-date total of more than $21 billion in ticket sales, and $8 billion in transfers to the EETF.


			1997

	Nov 29		The Happy LOTTO Days promotion begins guaranteeing starting jackpots of $40 million for the drawings held in December.


	Jul 20		Have A Perfect Summer promotion launches offering 40 seven-night Caribbean cruise for two and $1,000 in spending money.
	Jul 20

	May 23		Governor Lawton Chiles signs the bill that creates the Florida Lottery-funded Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
	May 23

	Jan 29		The Lottery introduces 500 Instant Ticket Vending Machines (ITVM’s) as a pilot program in the Orlando area.
	Jan 29


			1996

	Feb 28		The Florida Lottery awards the first grand prize of $1,000-a-week-for-life in the WIN FOR LIFE Scratch-Off game to Barbara Arens, of Clearwater.
	Feb 28


			1995

	Oct 13		The Lottery’s new weekly TV game show, “Flamingo Fortune,” airs on 11 television stations statewide. The show enjoys a four-year run, ending October 17, 1999.
	Oct 13


			1994

	May 24		The Lottery launches its first mail-in promotion, The Great LOTTOMOBILE Giveaway, with 50 Ford Mustang GTs as top prizes.
	May 24


			1993

	Sep 27		Tickets for the first $2 Scratch-Off game, BINGO, go on sale and offer a top prize of $10,000.


			1992

	Mar 2		The “COMBO” play style was added to CASH 3, giving players greater flexibility with their number combinations to win a top prize.


			1991

	Jul 4		Tickets go on sale for the new On-line game, PLAY 4™.

	Jan 8		Governor Lawton Chiles appoints Dr. Marcia Mann the second Secretary of the Florida Lottery.
	Jan 8

			1990

	Sep 15		Six FLORIDA LOTTO™ players split the highest jackpot since start up, an estimated $106.5 million.

	Sep 14		The Florida Lottery sets single-day ticket sales record of more than $30 million, as the result of the $100+ million FLORIDA LOTTO™ jackpot.

	Apr 3		Quick Pick is introduced for On-line games.


			1989

	Apr 28		The Florida Lottery launches the third On-line game, FANTASY 5®.
	Apr 28

			1988

	Sep 3		Florida Lottery sets a world record for largest jackpot paid to sole winner. Sheelah Ryan, of Winter Springs wins the $55.16 million FLORIDA LOTTO™ jackpot.
	Sep 3
	Aug 27		FLORIDA LOTTO™ rolls over to an estimated $52 million, setting a national and world record for Lotto jackpots.
	Aug 27
	May 28		Josie Moore, of Port Charlotte, wins the first FLORIDA LOTTO™ jackpot. The estimated $14 million jackpot is paid to Moore in 20 annual installments.
	May 28
	May 7		The first FLORIDA LOTTO™ drawing is held in Tallahassee at 11:00 p.m. ET with an estimated $2 million jackpot. No one selected all six winning numbers, producing the Lottery’s first rollover.
	May 7

	Apr 29		The first two On-line games FLORIDA LOTTO™ and CASH 3™ debut.

	Feb 15		The first transfer of Lottery-generated funds to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) occurs in the amount of $46.26 million.
	Feb 15
	Feb 13		Thomas W. Sawyer becomes the first Florida Lottery millionaire when he wins the Million Dollar Grand Prize Drawing held in Clearwater.
	Feb 13

	Jan 29		The Lottery repays the $15.5 million startup loan, plus interest, to the General Revenue Fund.

	Jan 12		Ticket sales begin for the first Scratch-Off game, MILLIONAIRE. Sales exceed $95 million in the first week, breaking the national sales record previously held by the California Lottery.
	Jan 12


			1987

	Jul 16		Governor Martinez appoints Rebecca Paul the first Secretary of the Florida Lottery.

	Jun 4		Governor Bob Martinez signs the Florida Public Education Lottery Act creating a new state agency.


			1986

	Nov 4		By a two-to-one margin, Florida voters approve a constitutional amendment authorizing the state to operate a lottery for the purpose of generating additional funds for education.


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