Backgrounder

Now in its 32nd year of operation, the Delaware State Lottery continues its winning tradition. Established games—PLAY 3 and PLAY 4—are still thriving, while POWERBALL®, with its multimillion-dollar jackpot, the new HOT LOTTO® with it's ability to produce jackpots from $1 million and up, and Multi-Win LOTTO with more chances to win, continue to attract new players. The Lottery offers a wide variety of Instant Games; it also operates Video Lottery games at three racetracks in the state.

Lottery dollars benefit everyone
By law, the Delaware Lottery generates income for the state's General Fund. The fund is a pool of money that finances a variety of state services. In this way, the Delaware Lottery helps pay for services that otherwise would require additional tax dollars. The Lottery—which has contributed more than $2.8 billion to the state's General Fund since 1975—contributed $256.7 million to the General Fund for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2007.

The Lottery's contribution to the General Fund helps to educate children and youth, protect neighborhoods from crime and pollution, maintain parks and beaches, ensure healthcare for families and seniors, and otherwise lend a hand to those in need. Legislators allocate money from the General Fund, with the governor's approval, to support these and other diverse state services and projects. Other sources of income for the General Fund are corporate and personal income taxes and various fees and tolls.

Unlike other state lotteries, which tend to target their revenues for specific efforts, Delaware Lottery revenues are not earmarked for any one group. This means the Lottery's contribution to the General Fund benefits all who live in, work in or visit Delaware.

As the Lottery grows, so does responsibility
The Delaware Lottery operates within the Department of Finance. With a staff of 29, it generates total revenue of more than half a billion dollars annually from traditional and Video Lottery games. Tickets are sold statewide by a network of nearly 500 licensed Delaware Lottery Retailers. Retailers receive a commission for each Lottery ticket sold, a commission for cashing prizes in their store, and are eligible for an additional commission when a large prize or jackpot is paid on a ticket sold in their store.

To discourage people from spending more than they can afford, the state spends more than $1 million each year to fund programs and campaigns on gambling problems. A "Play Responsibly" message, which includes the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems' helpline number (1-888-850-8888), is on all Lottery ads, brochures and other printed materials, Web site and is posted on Lottery computer terminals and Video Lottery machines. The Lottery also prints an "It's The Law" message on tickets to remind customers that players must be 18 years old to purchase tickets for games.

Celebrating a winning tradition
The modern Delaware Lottery started in 1975, after more than 100 years when no lotteries operated in Delaware. In the early 1970s, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey implemented lotteries and sold millions of tickets. Following suit, Delaware established its State Lottery on May 31, 1974. The Delaware Lottery's first game started in March 1975. "LOTTO Superfecta" was a weekly game based on a live horse race at Brandywine and Harrington Raceways. In the following year, the first Instant Games were introduced.

A major turning point came in 1977, when Ralph F. Batch became Lottery Director. Batch streamlined operations and, with the state's approval, switched to a computer-based lottery gaming system. Based on the new system, the Lottery introduced the state's first three-digit game, Daily Numbers, which is now called PLAY 3. PLAY 4 started in 1980 and the LOTTO game was added in 1983.

In 1991, Delaware teamed with other lottery jurisdictions to establish LOTTO America, which in 1992 was changed to POWERBALL®. This Multi-State Lottery game offers players one of the fastest-growing multimillion-dollar jackpots in the country and is now the Delaware Lottery's best-selling game. Players pick five numbers from 1 to 53, and a sixth number from 1 to 42, to win a minimum $15 million jackpot. When players select the Power Play® multiplier option, they have the chance to have their non-jackpot winnings increased two- to five-fold.

During 1995 and 1996, the Lottery introduced Video Lottery games, also known as "slot machines," at the three racetracks in the state: Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway's Midway Slots.

Updated June 2008

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