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A closer look at
Washington's Lottery
By Rep. Bill Hinkle
I’m sure like many of you,
I sometimes find myself dreaming of what it would be like to strike it
rich and win the lotto!
What would I do with my winnings? How would it change my life?
Well, I probably will never be able to answer those questions and that’s
okay. But what I can answer is what goes on behind the scenes with
Washington’s Lottery and how taxpayers benefit from the revenue it
generates.
In 1982, the Legislature established Washington’s Lottery to help
provide additional funding for education, human services, natural
resources and other government programs. Over the last 26 years, the
revenue has been directed to a variety of projects, and it currently
goes to education construction projects, stadium debt reduction and the
state General Fund.
In 2007, about 87 percent – $100 million – of Lottery revenue went to
education construction in our state. This money helps build and
modernize schools, colleges and universities.
Our children are our most important resource and we need an education
system that prepares them for a global marketplace and assure parents,
communities and state officials that the basic task of educating
students is being accomplished. As lawmakers, we have a constitutional
obligation to ensure basic education is provided for all.
An important aspect of this process is the buildings in which our
children learn. The Lottery helps provide funding to have our children
educated in clean, safe and modern environments.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction determines the
approval of K-12 projects and administers the funds through the Common
School Construction Account – Lottery funds make up a portion of this
account.
Higher education dollars are allocated to public colleges and
universities by lawmakers. Primarily, this money is used for maintenance
projects but it can be used for new construction. For example, Central
Washington University’s new music building.
It is important to know that while Lottery funds are important, they
only make up 2 percent of the state’s total education budget.
If you are looking for more information on the Washington Lottery,
please visit www.walottery.com.
If you need assistance with problem gambling or have questions about the
gambling regulation, please visit www.wsgc.wa.gov.
Rep. Bill Hinkle, R-Cle Elum, serves as lead Republican on the House
Health Care and Wellness Committee. He can be contacted at (360)
786-7808, toll-free at 1-800-562-6000, or via e-mail at hinkle.bill@leg.wa.gov
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For more information, contact:
Mike Deising, Public
Information Officer - (360) 786-7698
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