The California State Lottery is a state-run lottery in the U.S. state of California. It was established in 1984 through the California State Lottery Act following a voter referendum. The Lottery Act created the California State Lottery Commission to oversee operations. The California Lottery provides funding to California public schools, colleges, and universities through ticket sales and other revenue sources. According to its website, since inception the California Lottery has provided over $39 billion to public education.
The California State Lottery has its headquarters located in Sacramento, California. The street address for the headquarters is:
700 North 10th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
This is the main office location for California State Lottery operations and administration. The building houses executive offices, sales and marketing, information technology, security, finance, human resources, warehouse and distribution, and other key Lottery functions. The California State Lottery headquarters building was constructed in 1991 specifically for housing Lottery operations.
In addition to the headquarters in Sacramento, the California State Lottery has several dozen district offices located throughout the state. These offices support Lottery operations in major regions and population centers in California. Key district office locations include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Fresno, and Redding. The district offices serve as hubs for territory managers, sales representatives, claim centers, and support staff. They provide localized oversight and service delivery for Lottery activities such as retailer relations, claims processing, winner support, and promotional events.
The California State Lottery also operates draw studios for its lotto and other draw games. The primary draw studio is located alongside the Sacramento headquarters. This studio hosts live drawings for games like SuperLotto Plus, Fantasy 5, Daily 3, and Daily Derby. Backup and overflow draws are conducted at a secondary studio in Los Angeles. Both draw studio locations are secured with oversight from Lottery officials, auditors, and law enforcement.
Background on the California State Lottery
The California State Lottery offers a range of lottery games to residents across the state. Its product portfolio includes:
- Scratchers – Instant win scratch-off tickets with prizes up to $5 million.
- SuperLotto Plus – Jackpot draw game played twice per week.
- Powerball – Multi-state jackpot draw game played twice weekly.
- Mega Millions – Multi-state jackpot draw game played twice per week.
- Fantasy 5 – Daily draw game with top prize of $100,000.
- Daily 3 – Daily pick-3 style number draw game.
- Daily Derby – Horse racing-themed draw game played daily.
- Hot Spot – Electronic terminal game similar to keno.
- Raffle games – Specialty and seasonal raffle-style draw games.
The Lottery also participates in joint-state games such as Powerball and Mega Millions. These games offer huge jackpots and nationwide participation. Tickets for draw games and Scratchers can be purchased at over 23,000 retailer locations in California. Major retail partners include grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, liquor stores, and pharmacies.
Since launching in 1985, the California State Lottery has generated over $145 billion in revenue. More than $39 billion from this has funded education programs in California. Annual ticket sales now regularly exceed $7 billion each fiscal year. On average, about 80 cents of every dollar spent on Lottery tickets benefits California public schools and colleges. This makes the Lottery one of the top ten revenue sources for education in the state.
California State Lottery Commission
The California State Lottery Commission provides oversight for Lottery operations. The Commission was established alongside the original California State Lottery Act in 1984. It consists of five members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the California State Senate. No more than three commissioners may be from the same political party.
Key responsibilities of the State Lottery Commission include:
- Setting annual revenue goals
- Approving budgets
- Adopting rules and regulations
- Appointing the Lottery Director
- Establishing game rules and prize structures
- Engaging in long-range planning
The Commission holds regular public meetings to conduct business related to the Lottery. These meetings provide transparency and oversight into the Lottery’s operations. The Commission guides the Lottery to achieve its mission of supplemental funding for education. While the Lottery Director manages day-to-day operations, the Commission provides high-level strategic direction.
Direct Lottery Revenue to Education
In the 2020-21 fiscal year, the California State Lottery generated $8.4 billion in revenue. Of this, approximately $1.8 billion went to prizes, $588 million covered operating expenses, and $6 billion was used for public education funding. The Lottery has specific instructions for how its funds must be allocated to schools:
- 50% to prizes
- At least 87% to education
- No more than 16% to operating expenses
- No more than 5% to incentive commissions for Lottery retailers
Each year, the California Lottery transfers its net revenues directly to public education. Funds are distributed on a per capita enrollment basis to K-12 school districts, community colleges, the California State University, and the University of California.
| Fiscal Year | Amount Raised for Education |
|---|---|
| 2020-21 | $6 billion |
| 2019-20 | $1.8 billion |
| 2018-19 | $1.7 billion |
| 2017-18 | $1.6 billion |
| 2016-17 | $1.5 billion |
As shown, the Lottery has provided significant and growing levels of supplemental funding for California public education over the past five years. The State Lottery is now responsible for approximately 1-2% of all education spending in California each year.
Lottery Scratchers Games
Scratchers games account for over 65% of California State Lottery revenue each year. These instant win style tickets offer prizes from small amounts up to millions of dollars. They come in a variety of themes with different price points and prize structures. Some current Scratchers games in California include:
- California Millions – $30 tickets with 16 top prizes of $5 million.
- Lady Luck – $5 tickets with a max prize of $100,000.
- Monopoly – $5 and $10 tickets tied to the Monopoly board game brand.
- Cashword – $3 crossword puzzle-style tickets.
- Loteria – $3 scratchers with a Hispanic flare.
- 50X Fortune – $20 tickets with a max prize of $10 million.
New Scratcher games are introduced on a regular basis to keep the portfolio fresh. The California Lottery currently manages over 50 different Scratchers games at a given time. Tickets are available for purchase daily at Lottery retail locations across the state.
Scratchers Ticket Security
Scratchers tickets have multiple security features to prevent fraud and validate winning tickets:
- Scratch-off coating that hides symbols and numbers
- Serial numbers on front and back
- Verification codes under scratch-off coating
- Ink and paper stock with special properties
- Embedded security fibers
These features allow Lottery clerks and prize claim centers to quickly verify legitimate winning tickets. The secure printing and distribution process prevents tampering or counterfeiting. This provides integrity to the Scratchers game and ensures players have fair odds to win prizes.
California Lottery Responsible Gaming
The California State Lottery actively promotes responsible play from its customers. While Lottery games are intended for entertainment purposes, the Lottery recognizes that some individuals have problems with excessive gambling. As part of its mission, the Lottery contributes funding each year to the California Office of Problem Gambling.
The Lottery has implemented various responsible gaming measures, including:
- Must be 18 or older to play
- Advertising focused on responsible entertainment for adults
- Messaging about responsible play odds and odds of winning
- Self-exclusion program for problem gamblers
- Prohibition on credit or loans for Lottery purchases
- Discouraging excessive play
Lottery tickets and marketing materials also include a problem gambling hotline number. This allows individuals to get help if they feel they have an unhealthy relationship with Lottery games or gambling in general. Overall, the California State Lottery aims to operate transparently and encourage responsible gambling habits.
Finding California Lottery Winning Numbers
For draw-style games like Powerball, Mega Millions, and SuperLotto Plus, players can find winning numbers in several places:
- California Lottery website and mobile app – Posted shortly after the draws.
- Retail locations – Often display latest results.
- Newspapers – Many publish lottery results.
- Lottery claim centers – Can look up recent results.
- California Lottery social media – Results are shared on Twitter and Facebook.
- Lottery TV shows – Winning numbers are scrolled on screen.
Scratchers games do not have winning numbers. Instead, players instantly reveal symbols and prize amounts on the tickets. Jackpot amounts for games like Powerball and Mega Millions frequently make headlines across the state and country when they reach astronomical levels.
Unclaimed Lottery Prizes
Each year, a portion of California Lottery prizes go unclaimed. Reasons for unclaimed prizes include:
- Lost or discarded tickets
- Unchecked tickets
- Failure to meet claiming deadlines
- Tickets never cashed in
State law requires unclaimed Lottery prizes to be forfeited after a year. These funds are then returned to the public education system. For example, in fiscal year 2020-21, over $285 million in unclaimed prizes were transferred to California schools.
The Lottery encourages players to sign their tickets immediately to prevent some types of unclaimed prizes. It also advertises upcoming prize claim deadlines so players are aware. Ultimately, while forfeited prizes benefit education, the Lottery wants to award all prizes to eligible ticket holders.
Buying Lottery Tickets Online
The California State Lottery currently does not sell tickets through online or mobile channels. All Lottery ticket purchases must be made in-person from authorized retailers across the state. Players can use the mobile app to scan Scratcher tickets and check draw results, but cannot actually buy tickets.
Allowing ticket purchases online or through mobile apps would require changes to California Lottery laws and regulations. Certain states do permit limited online lottery ticket sales to residents who register. However, most lottery jurisdictions still require in-person purchases. The California Lottery will continue evaluating technological innovations that could supplement its retail distribution model.
The California Lottery and Social Media
The California State Lottery engages with players and the general public through multiple social media platforms. These channels provide marketing, customer service, education funding awareness, winner promotion, and entertainment content from the Lottery. Its main social media accounts include:
- YouTube – Instructional videos and winner features
- Facebook – Games, promotions, event updates
- Twitter – Jackpot alerts, winning numbers, Second Chance contests
- Instagram – Behind the scenes, winner highlights
Social platforms allow the Lottery to disseminate information to millions of followers in a quick and cost-effective manner. Players also use social media to interact with the Lottery by asking questions, reporting issues, sharing big wins, and entering giveaways. Engagement through social media makes the Lottery more accessible to Californians.
Signing the Back of Lottery Tickets
The California State Lottery recommends immediately signing the back of draw game and Scratchers tickets for multiple reasons:
- Prevents another person from cashing in if lost or stolen
- Serves as ownership verification for claiming prizes
- Discourages selling winning tickets to others
- Allows players to track which games they’ve played
While a signature is not necessarily required, it provides an extra layer of protection. Lottery retailers and claim centers can check player signatures during prize validation. Even if a ticket does not require a signature, including contact information is recommended.
Conclusion
For over 35 years, the California State Lottery has provided critical supplemental funding for education across the state. From its headquarters in Sacramento and district offices located statewide, the Lottery offers draw and Scratchers style games daily to residents age 18 and over. Responsible play is encouraged through various problem gambling resources and age restrictions. While playing the Lottery can be fun entertainment, it is designed to ultimately raise money for schools. Hundreds of billions in revenue have already been contributed since inception. With sustained player enthusiasm and support, the California Lottery will keep contributing to this valuable educational mission for years to come.
