Hoosiers To Reap Benefits From Mega Millions

Money Spent On Tickets To Fund State, Government Services

Posted: 04/03/2012
Last Updated: 412 days ago

Hoosiers spent a record-breaking before a Friday drawing for a chance at what turned out to be a historic $656 million in the Mega Millions jackpot.

Hoosier Lottery officials said lottery players in Indiana spent $12 million in the week leading up to the drawing, a new weekly record for Mega Millions in the state, RTV6's Tanya Spencer reported.

Hoosier Lottery Spokesman Al Larsen said Hoosiers didn’t totally bottom out. On average, 50 percent of the money goes back to the players in prizes, 35 percent goes to state government services and 15 percent goes to retailer commissions and lottery operating costs, officials said.

One Hoosier actually did win part of the world record-setting jackpot.

Angelica Siva, a stay-at-home mom from Westfield, won a $250,000 prize for matching five of the six numbers.

"(She’s) a stay-at-home mom of a 3-year-old and has another child on the way, due in June. She's ecstatic,” Larsen said.

For fiscal year 2011, lottery sales in Indiana produced $35 million for a pension fund for retired teachers, another $35 million for a pension and disability fund for retired Hoosier police officers and firefighters, and $118 million went to the Build Indiana Fund, which is used to lower the motor vehicle excise tax for all Hoosier drivers.

Thanks to last week’s lottery sales, those amounts will be much higher for 2012, officials said.

"So whether you play or don't play, you'll see a benefit from what we just experienced last week,” Larsen said.

Copyright Copyright 2012 by TheIndyChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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