JACKSON — Mississippi has collected more than $75 million since July 1 from the state lottery.
State law specifies that the first $80 million collected each budget year will go toward highway construction and maintenance, and the next $80 million will go to education.
The budget year runs from July 1 through June 30.
The Mississippi Lottery Corporation is the private company that runs the lottery. It announced Thursday that the state collected $23.6 million from lottery games in January.
The corporation president, Tom Shaheen, says there was “astonishing growth” in people playing Powerball and Mega Millions games because of large jackpots.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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