It's pretty public information, though you have to go to state lottery commissions for all the details: https://fortune.com/2016/01/13/where-the-money-from-the-

It's pretty public information, though you have to go to state lottery commissions for all the details: https://fortune.com/2016/01/13/where-the-money-from-the-1-5-billion-powerball-lottery-goes/ https://fortune.com/2016/01/13/where-the-money-from-the-1-5-... Somewhere around half goes to prizes, another quarter to running the lottery, and the remaining bit is the proceeds for state funds. It's not especially effective as a source of fundraising, but it's a hack of a lot better than Vegas. I have spent about a thousand dollars on lotto tickets through my life (including the rebate from my meagre winnings), and I've spent that amount on things that were a lot less entertaining per dollar. You're buying dreams and the flight of fancy, not any tangible benefits.