The Oklahoma House passed and Governor Mary Fallin signed State House Bill 1837, which removed the requirement that 35 percent of Oklahoma Lottery profits must go to education. Supporters of the measure said the new law will lead to bigger prizes, which will attract more players and increase funding for education.
Currently the lottery is replacing all instant tickets with new tickets reflecting the higher payouts. Lottery Director of Marketing and Administration Jay Finks said, “In the past, Oklahoma Lottery prizes were the worst in the nation, resulting in 12 years of lower payouts. Getting players to return to the game is going to involve new marketing strategy.”
Finks said the lottery expects to raise instant ticket sales by 30 percent to $40 million next year, and to provide a projected $335 million to education in the next five years instead of $225 million without the law change.
Since the Oklahoma Lottery began in 2005 through the end of fiscal year 2017, it will have directed $805 million to the state. Lottery officials expect to give the state $58 million in fiscal 2018 and $65 million in 2019, Finks said.
