Lucky or Hooked? 10 States That Can’t Stop Playing the Lottery, Delaware Among Them
Rising lottery jackpots excite millions of Americans with the prospect of winning big. The chances of earning those large jackpots are slim, but that doesn’t stop record amounts of lottery ticket sales year after year.
Forty-five states participate in the Powerball lottery game, and many dream of beating the highest-ever earnings in 2022. $2.04 billion was won in November 2022 on a Powerball lottery ticket in California.
With so much money on the line, can you guess how much money Delaware residents spend on lottery tickets each year?
Counting America’s Lottery Spending
Lottery Geeks ranked which states Americans spend the most money on lottery tickets. They used Total FY23 Lottery Sales data and compared it with population numbers from every state where lotteries are legal.
Information from FY23 Total Transfers to Beneficiaries was also a factor in determining the final ranking.
These are the states where Americans pour the most money into hoping they hit the lottery jackpot.
1. Rhode Island
- Average lottery spending per person: $939
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $1,027,026,255
2. Massachusetts
- Average lottery spending per person: $877
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $6,123,919,000
3. Maryland
- Average lottery spending per person: $845
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $5,210,509,834
4. West Virginia
- Average lottery spending per person: $812
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $1,441,012,707
5. Delaware
- Average lottery spending per person: $745
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $758,610,068
6. New York
- Average lottery spending per person: $536
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $10,544,770,000
7. Georgia
- Average lottery spending per person: $520
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $5,679,798,592
8. Ohio
- Average lottery spending per person: $495
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $5,818,973,230
9. Michigan
- Average lottery spending per person: $491
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $4,922,869,158
10. South Dakota
- Average lottery spending per person: $456
- Total state lottery sales in 2023: $414,635,291
Rhode Island’s Lottery Revenue
Rhode Island is ranked as the state that spends the most on lottery tickets, with a good amount going to the state budget after payouts and operational costs.
Rhode Island sold its first lottery ticket in 1974, and it launched the Mega Millions game in 2010. Reportedly, before Rhode Island sold Mega Millions lottery tickets, citizens would drive to Massachusetts to play.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot stands at over $1.5 billion.
About 8% of what’s spent on each lottery ticket goes to the state of Rhode Island.
Since lotteries began in Rhode Island, over $8 billion has gone to state funding, which promotes education, public safety, health care, and more.
History of American Lotteries
Lotteries in the U.S. weren’t always popular. In the 1800s, because of religious and social standings, lotteries were made illegal by 1894.
Then in the 1960s, lotteries made a comeback in the U.S. after a need for increased state spending amid rising inflation.
New Hampshire was the first state to legalize government-run lotteries in 1964, with several states doing the same through the following decades.
Mississippi was the last state to approve a lottery in 2019.
Some States Lack Lotteries
Five states in the U.S. do not sell lottery tickets: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah. There have been several attempts by officials to legalize or loosen lottery laws in each state.
For example, Alabama lawmakers in May 2024 created a proposal that would initiate a state lottery, but they failed to pass it in the state Senate.
Alaska has rejected lotteries in the state in favor of charitable gaming like gambling in tribal casinos due to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Pro-lottery Hawaii lawmakers faced criticism from opponents who say gambling would hurt poor communities.
Nevada’s dedication to other forms of gambling and Utah’s state constitution’s blocking of “games of chance” recently stopped each state’s chance of having lotteries.
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