Lottery ticket sales nearly doubled to $104.7 billion, and states now keep 33 cents of each dollar
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Americans spent $104.7 billion on state lottery tickets in fiscal year 2024, nearly double the $52.8 billion of fiscal 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State Government Finances. Prizes grew faster. Lotteries paid out $70.2 billion in 2024, up 118 percent from $32.2 billion.
That left states with less of each dollar. Net lottery revenue, what remains after prizes, rose 68 percent to $34.5 billion, but it fell from 39 percent of ticket sales in 2008 to 33 percent in 2024. None of the figures are adjusted for inflation.
The prize share rose steadily. It was 61 percent of sales in 2008, 64 percent by 2015, and 67 percent from 2020 on, except for a dip to 66 percent in 2023. The figures come from a story by Rob Simon, a survey statistician at the bureau, published in April.
Virginia returned the most. It paid out 80 percent of its ticket sales in prizes in fiscal 2024. Kentucky was next at 75 percent, and Missouri, Massachusetts, and Idaho tied at 74 percent. Maine and Arkansas paid 73 percent, Pennsylvania 72 percent, and Ohio and South Carolina 71 percent. Prize shares vary by game, too; ScratchCheck tracks scratch-off games ranked by payout percentage in each state, using odds and prize tables from state lotteries.
California sold the most tickets, $9.28 billion, followed by New York at $8.95 billion, Florida at $8.85 billion, and Texas at $8.39 billion. They are the only four states above $8 billion.
Measured against population, the ranking changes. Massachusetts, fifth in total sales at $6.13 billion, sold about $857 in tickets for every resident. That is more than three times California's $236. Virginia was second among the top 10 states at about $597 per resident.
| Rank | State | Ticket sales, FY 2024 | Residents, 2025 | Sales per resident |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $6.13 billion | 7,154,084 | $857 |
| 2 | Virginia | $5.30 billion | 8,880,107 | $597 |
| 3 | North Carolina | $5.38 billion | 11,197,968 | $480 |
| 4 | Georgia | $5.36 billion | 11,302,748 | $474 |
| 5 | New York | $8.95 billion | 20,002,427 | $447 |
| 6 | Michigan | $4.32 billion | 10,127,884 | $427 |
| 7 | Florida | $8.85 billion | 23,462,518 | $377 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $4.44 billion | 13,059,432 | $340 |
| 9 | Texas | $8.39 billion | 31,709,821 | $265 |
| 10 | California | $9.28 billion | 39,355,309 | $236 |
Forty-five states run a lottery. The newest three, Arkansas, Wyoming, and Mississippi, started in fiscal 2010, 2015, and 2020, and together sold $1.1 billion in tickets in fiscal 2024. Five states have no state lottery: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.
For another state revenue source, see our look at state cannabis tax revenue.
Sources
Ticket sales, prizes, net revenue, and prize shares are from the U.S. Census Bureau's "Sales of Lottery Tickets Nearly Doubled and Prizes More Than Doubled From 2008 to 2024" (Rob Simon, April 8, 2026), based on the Annual Survey of State Government Finances, whose fiscal 2024 tables were released March 5, 2026. Survey methods are described in the bureau's methodology documentation. Sales per resident are CensusEasy calculations, dividing each state's fiscal 2024 ticket sales, as rounded by the bureau, by its July 1, 2025, population estimate from the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates, so they are approximate. Dollar amounts are not adjusted for inflation.
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How much do Americans spend on lottery tickets?
Americans bought $104.7 billion in state lottery tickets in fiscal year 2024, according to the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State Government Finances. That is nearly double the $52.8 billion of fiscal 2008, not adjusted for inflation.
Which state lottery pays out the most in prizes?
Virginia paid out 80 percent of its lottery ticket sales in prizes in fiscal 2024, the highest share of any state. Kentucky was second at 75 percent, and Missouri, Massachusetts, and Idaho tied at 74 percent.
Which states do not have a lottery?
Five states do not run a state lottery: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. The 45 that do sold $104.7 billion in tickets in fiscal 2024, and the newest, Mississippi, started its lottery in fiscal 2020.
