FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

June 25, 2003
CONTACT: Jennifer Gelband
(208) 334-2600 

LOTTERY DECLARES $20.5 MILLION DIVIDEND! 

(BOISE) – Preliminary sales figures for the fiscal year ended June 30th reveal estimated sales for 2004 $96.7 million! That’s $4.1 million more than last fiscal year as of Sunday night. As a result, the Idaho Lottery Commission has declared a dividend of $20.5 million to benefit Idaho public schools and buildings. Lottery Director Roger Simmons presented a giant-size dividend check to Governor Dirk Kempthorne on June 24, 2003, at 3 p.m. in a classroom at North Junior High School, Boise. 

North Junior High School, the second oldest school in the district, is currently undergoing a massive renovation, partly funded with last year’s Lottery dividend. North Junior High received about $425,000 for repainting and flooring. Principal Matt Kobe thanked the Lottery for their help and said it will “benefit our community, benefit students everyday.”

Governor Kempthorne asked everyone to take a minute to remember the construction in the room, and he thanked the Lottery “on behalf of the students, who spend so many days of their lives right here.” And he mentioned the Lottery funded repairs were “precious and priceless.” 

Governor Kempthorne also noted that since the lottery began in 1989, total sales have far exceeded $1 billion and the Lottery has given back about $250 million to Idaho public schools and buildings. 

These funds are distributed based on population to the Public School Building Fund, which is all K-12 public schools throughout the state, and the Permanent Building Fund, in which colleges and universities use the state money to fund expansion projects and build new buildings. 

High Powerball jackpots drove Lottery sales past year. And with an improved instant scratch ticket line up that included licensed games such as the Harley-Davidson ticket and the new $7 Nutcracker Cash, weekly sales averaged an increase as well. 

Idaho Lottery benefiting Idaho public schools and buildings