IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE 

CONTACT: Jennifer Gelband
(208) 334-2600 
August 3, 2005 

LOTTERY DECLARES RECORD $26 MILLION DIVIDEND! 

(BOISE) – Preliminary sales figures for fiscal year 2005, ended June 30, reveal estimated sales of more than $113.5 million! That’s $4 million more than last fiscal year. As a result, the Idaho Lottery Commission has declared a record dividend of $26 million to benefit Idaho public schools and buildings. The Lottery has surpassed last year’s record dividend of $25 million. 

The Idaho Lottery Commission presented a giant-size dividend check to Governor Dirk Kempthorne on August 3, 2005, at 11:30 a.m. at the Governor’s Office in Boise. 

It was 16 years ago on July 19, 1989, that the Idaho Lottery sold the first Lottery ticket to JR Simplot. Since then, the Idaho Lottery has come a long way. Total sales have far exceeded $1 billion and the Lottery has given back over $300 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. 

In addition to the dividend check, the Idaho Lottery also presented the state with a check for $10,121,039 in income taxes. Half of the money is distributed to Idaho counties’ juvenile justice programs and half to the state’s school districts for substance abuse education programs. 

This presentation marks a significant year in Lottery history as Idaho made national headlines with two Powerball jackpot winners: Eric Kyle won $18.7 million in February and in May Brad Duke won $220.3 million, one of the largest single jackpots in Powerball history. 

Idaho Lottery benefiting Idaho public schools and buildings. Must be 18 to buy, sell, redeem Lottery tickets. Please play responsibly.