On Thursday, April 5, WyoLottoTM transferred $1,405,492 to the State Treasurer’s Office, where the funds will be distributed to Wyoming’s cities, towns and counties. This is a record amount that the Wyoming Lottery has transferred to the state since launching in 2014.
These quarterly transfers are a critical part of the Wyoming Lottery’s mission. More than $7.9 million has been transferred to the State of Wyoming since launching in 2014. The first transfer was made in April 2016.
“This record transfer is a demonstration from our staff, partners and vendors that giving back as much as we can to the state is our number one priority. Thanks to paying off our start up loan early, we were able to start these transfers two years ago,” said Jon Clontz, WyoLotto CEO.
Clontz said he looks forward to the coming year as the team at WyoLotto gets to focus on growth and giving back now that the dust is settling on launching a startup. “We worked hard to establish our brand and become recognized by players, and we are happy we get to contribute to the communities that support us,” Clontz said.
Not only are Wyoming communities winning, but players and retailers are also winning. Since 2014, the Wyoming Lottery has seen more than 2.9 million WyoLotto players take home approximately $39.7 million in winnings. There are nearly 450 WyoLotto retailers around the state. Additionally, retailers have earned more than $6 million in commissions from August 2014-March 2018. Small businesses around the state have been able to see the benefits from a new revenue source that also drives additional traffic to those stores that used to go out of the state.
“We hope that every dollar we can give back to the state helps,” Clontz said.
Large jackpots, like the recent Mega MillionsⓇ witnessed last Friday with more than half a billion dollars up for grabs, hugely impacts sales forecasts on a positive note. By state statute, at least 45% of net proceeds from lottery sales must go to the prize pool. In 2015 and 2016, approximately 55% each year went to the prize pool. This number rose to 57% in 2017. Prizes paid to winners have increased every year since inception of WyoLotto from 54% in 2015 to a projected 66% in 2018.
To receive updates and notifications about Cowboy DrawⓇ, Lucky for LifeⓇ, Mega Millions or PowerballⓇ, visit wyolotto.com/signup.