Rhode Island Earned $300M From The Lottery In The Last Year

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's state leaders may not have bought a ticket, but the state won the lottery last year. According to the latest report from the state auditor general, more than $300 million was added to the general fund from lottery proceeds.

The numbers are for the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year, which ended June 30. The $301.8 million added to the general fund represents the total earned by the lottery, minus prizes paid out, commissions and operating expenses. That's nearly $18 million more than the previous fiscal year, according to the report.

While the state saw a year-over-year increase, this year's proceeds were less than the pre-pandemic numbers seen in 2019, the auditor general said.

The Rhode Island Lottery's total profit was $314.8 million. Of that, 66.4 percent, or $209.2 million, came from video lottery, the report said. While that's a significant amount, it actually represents a 2.3 percent decrease in video lottery profits from the year prior.

Online gaming revenue saw a big increase over the last year, rising 16.4 percent year-over-year, while instant ticket revenue went up by 19.5 percent.

The full report and a summary are available at the Auditor General’s website.