With nearly $4 billion spent on the Florida lottery every year, it is obvious that Floridians love their lottery! Florida lotteries phenomenal success is largely due to the implementation of an innovative business model which has led to the Lottery of Florida gaining a reputation for being one of the most efficiently run lotteries in the USA.
This entrepreneurial mind-set has enabled the organisers to run a cost effective operation as well as continued implementation of new products. This has kept interest and sales high for the lottery, which has in turn, led to more than $21 billion being donated to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
FLORIDA EDUCATION BENEFITS BY $21 BILLION
From the very outset, the Lottery of Florida’s main objective was to raise funds for the education and benefit of the people of Florida. With more than $21 billion now contributed to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund no-one can be in doubt that the lottery is a success.
Everyone who has played the lottery in Florida has contributed to scholarships, school improvements and construction projects, leading to thousands of children and young people benefiting from improved education and learning facilities.
NEW SCHOOLS FOR FLORIDA
The Lottery for Florida has now contributed funds to 780 school projects in the state. Some of the main benefactors are the Classrooms First and Classrooms for Kids projects. These programs deal with renovation and remodelling of existing schools as well as the construction of new educational facilities and have received in excess of $3.9 billion of lottery funds.
FLORIDA SCHOLARSHIPS
In 1997 lottery monies funded the creation of the The Bright Futures Scholarship Program. The organisation was set up to help talented students realise their career paths and pursue the appropriate further education requirements. The contribution of more than $3.2 billion from the Lottery of Florida has resulted in over half a million students being given the opportunity of a college education.
LOTTERY OF FLORIDA PATENT
Continuing with their innovative and entrepreneurial reputation, the Lottery’s product development team created a new, simplified method for the game drawing process and in December 2010 The Lottery of Florida applied for a patent to be granted for this new Kerry899 game drawing method.
The Lottery for Florida organisers are of the opinion that the granting of this patent will enable them to secure additional income streams from the granting of licences to use the new gaming method, thus further increasing profitability and its ability to continue expanding its contributions to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
Leo DiBenigno, Secretary of the Florida Lottery, said he believed that this new method could ultimately help increase sales and maximize the Lottery’s contributions to education by permitting them to pursue enhanced game options for their players.
He was excited to be able to pursue a patent (they were granted authority to do so in June 2007) for a unique lottery method that they felt would lead to added efficiencies in operations while continuing to safeguard the integrity of lottery games.