The record-holders: These state lotteries outdid themselves this year

State lotteries have spent the summer releasing their annual reports, and a pattern jumps out. Several states didn't just have a good year. They set new all-time marks for sales, prizes, or money sent back to their states. Here's a look at the standouts, what they broke, and why.

North Carolina: four straight years above $1 billion

The North Carolina Education Lottery turned 20 this year, and it celebrated with its biggest education contribution yet. The lottery generated an estimated $1.14 billion for schools in fiscal year 2026, pushing its all-time total past $13.4 billion since launching in 2006.

That's the fourth year running that North Carolina has topped $1 billion for education. Sales hit $7.1 billion, another record, with $5.5 billion paid out in prizes. North Carolina remains the only U.S. lottery to grow sales every single year since it began, and it's now the youngest lottery to consistently clear $1 billion annually. State lawmakers have leaned on that money to fund school construction, with 15 groundbreaking or ribbon-cutting ceremonies held this year alone.

Georgia: 11 years, 11 billion-dollar seasons

Georgia's lottery raised $1.54 billion for education in fiscal year 2026, extending an 11-year streak of $1 billion-plus contributions. That beat last year's total by $69.5 million, and it brings the lottery's lifetime haul to more than $31.3 billion since 1993, funding the HOPE Scholarship and the state's Pre-K program.

The headline moment came in November, when a $983 million Mega Millions jackpot was won in Newnan and claimed in January. It's the largest prize in Georgia Lottery history, and it capped a year Governor Brian Kemp called exceptionally strong.

Tennessee: a record number of students helped

Tennessee's record wasn't about sales. It was about who benefited. A record 169,412 students received one of 13 lottery-funded scholarships or grants in the 2024-25 academic year, worth nearly $505 million, up 6.8% from the year before. Since the program began in 2004, more than 2.3 million awards have gone out, and the lottery has raised close to $8 billion for education overall.

Tennessee also had its share of luck. A $37.37 million Lotto America jackpot, won in Spring Hill in June, was the largest prize of the year. Total ticket revenue reached $1.8 billion, bringing the lottery's lifetime sales past $32 billion.

Mississippi: the biggest prize the state has ever paid

Mississippi's lottery is younger than most, launching in 2019, but fiscal year 2025 delivered its two biggest individual prizes to date. In February, a Powerball Double Play ticket sold in Petal won $10 million, the largest prize in Mississippi Lottery history and only the fifth Double Play jackpot won nationwide since the feature launched in 2021. Four months later, a Match 5 ticket in Columbus won $1.2 million, the game's first seven-figure jackpot.

Overall, the lottery transferred $113 million to the state, including $80 million for roads and bridges and $33 million for education, on $444.4 million in gross sales.

Montana: a sales record built on raffle tickets and rolling jackpots

Montana's lottery closed its fiscal year with just over $165 million in total sales, a new annual record. Director Bob Brown credited steady interest in the state's Montana Millionaire raffle, growing jackpots on in-state game Montana Cash, and strong national runs for Powerball and Mega Millions. The first $2.25 million supports Montana's STEM/Healthcare Scholarship Program, with the rest headed to the state's General Fund.

Idaho: not the biggest year, but close to it

Idaho didn't set an outright record this year. Its $75 million dividend was the third largest in the lottery's history, on the third consecutive year of sales above $400 million. Still, Director Andrew Arulanandam pointed to how far the lottery has grown: that $75 million dividend is 435% higher than the $17.2 million it paid out in its very first year, back in 1990.

Why so many records at once

A few threads run through these results. Scratch-off and in-state draw games kept sales steady even in years without a billion-dollar national jackpot. States that funnel proceeds directly into visible programs, like scholarships or school construction, saw strong player engagement. And a handful of massive individual jackpots, from Georgia's $983 million win to Mississippi's $10 million Double Play prize, gave several states a headline moment on top of their steady, year-over-year growth.

Together, these six states show a lottery industry that isn't just holding steady. It's still finding new highs.