Skip to main content
Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Tennessee lottery posts highest first-quarter sales returns

Kelly Jarrett purchases lottery tickets from Mike Patel during her daily lottery run to the Kankus- Smile Fuels gas station off of East Brainerd Road early Monday afternoon. Lottery officials have seen a 10.2 percent jump in funds raised for state education programs from Tennessee Lottery ticket sales in the past fiscal year ending June 30.
Kelly Jarrett purchases lottery tickets from Mike Patel during her daily lottery run to the Kankus- Smile Fuels gas station off of East Brainerd Road early Monday afternoon. Lottery officials have seen a 10.2 percent jump in funds raised for state education programs from Tennessee Lottery ticket sales in the past fiscal year ending June 30.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. has announced it posted its highest first-quarter sales returns in the organization’s almost 12-year history.

Rebecca Hargrove, president and CEO of the state’s education lottery, said in a news release Monday that the corporation saw first-quarter sales of $361.7 million, or a 10 percent increase over last year.

The majority of the lottery’s revenue goes to paying winners, while a portion also is handed out to retailers.

Since Jan. 20, 2004, nearly 1 million scholarships, grants and dual-enrollment awards have been awarded to Tennessee students, according to the news release. Lottery funds also are used to support other education-related activities, such as after-school programs, an ongoing project to make schools more energy efficient and Tennessee Promise.