News writer; Opinion columnist
While the Tennessee State Lottery has paid out billions of dollars and created hundreds of millionaires in its twenty years of existence, the state's biggest winners are its students.
Since the first ticket was sold in the Volunteer State, over $7.2 billion has been raised for state education programs, and millions of students have received scholarships and other forms of financial aid.
Student's first
The Tennessee State Lottery first launched on January 20, 2024, and it has been a roaring success since day one. Annual gross revenues have increased by an average of 5.4% each year, and the number of games and jackpot sizes have only grown.
The lottery's success has directly translated into massive support for state education, with an average of $360 million going to educational initiatives to benefit K-12 students every year.
This money is used to support after-school enrichment programs, school energy efficiency programs, and over two million scholarship and grant programs for Tennessee students attending in-state schools.
“For twenty years, the Tennessee Education Lottery has helped open doors for students and families by consistently serving as a vital funding source for specific education programs,” said Rebecca Paul, Lottery president and CEO. “As we enter the next decade, we're dedicated to making sure the years ahead prove just as fun for our players and as productive for the good causes we serve.”
Creating scholars
The lottery funds several different types of scholarships meant to help different groups within the state receive a higher education.
The Helping Heroes grant is reserved for honorably discharged veterans who served in either the US military or the Tennessee National Guard.
The General Assembly Merit Scholarship is available to high-achieving high school students with a minimum 3.75 weighted GPA or scoring a 29 on the ACT.
The Tennessee HOPE Foster Child Tuition Grant pays the cost of school attendance for any child over thirteen who has been in the Tennessee Department of Child Services custody for at least one year.
Through the Step Up program, financial aid is made available to individuals with intellectual disabilities who have completed high school but will need additional assistance to achieve a secondary education.
For adults who want to finally complete their degree or switch careers, programs such as Tennessee Reconnect and TCAT Reconnect can provide financial aid for individuals over 25 seeking to return to college.
By the numbers
But of course, it's not just students who walked away feeling like winners. The lottery has also paid out $19.8 billion in prizes to players over the last two decades, including 395 tickets worth $1 million or more. Additionally, over 5,000 authorized retailers in the state have collected $1.9 billion as bonuses for selling winning tickets.
Today, the lottery offers over 150 different games to play, including nine different draw games and 151 scratch-off tickets. Prizes for in-state exclusive games range from a free play to a $5 million jackpot for players who try their luck at $5,000,000 Jumbo Bucks.
The lottery also offers multi-state draw games, such as Powerball and Mega Millions.
But if you don't win a big prize, Tennessee is happy to help you win an education.
