Leading the Way in the Sunshine State
People and products have taken the Florida Lottery to the top of the American lottery class, with annual sales now almost $10 billion.
By Patricia McQueen
Published September 22, 2026
In FY21, the Florida Lottery took the lead among American lotteries based on total traditional game sales, and hasn’t looked back. It was the first to surpass $9 billion in a single year, and Florida has now generated more than $9 billion in sales annually for six straight years. In the recently completed FY26, preliminary sales were $9.71 billion, a little shy of its FY23 high of $9.8 billion, but enough to continue its edge over the California Lottery.
Those sales numbers translate into industry-leading transfers to lottery beneficiaries as well, again based on traditional games only. Florida sent over $2.4 billion to education in FY26.
That performance is impressive. Florida’s official population base ranks only third in the U.S., well behind California and Texas. But the Florida Lottery benefits from a significant seasonal “snowbird” influx and clearly offers a product mix that is attractive to all types of players. Population isn’t the only determinant of sales, of course, with different rules and regulations for lotteries in each jurisdiction that impact the obvious levers of products, prize structures and marketing efforts. Yet there’s no doubt that the Florida Lottery has been running on all cylinders lately, and Sunshine State students and education programs reap the benefits. In addition, more than $587 million in commissions was earned across nearly 13,600 retailers in FY26.
“The Florida Lottery was formed in 1988, with its whole purpose being to maximize revenues for education,” explains Secretary Reginald D. Dixon, who was appointed to lead the Florida Lottery in June 2026 after a stint as Acting Secretary. Previously, he served as the organization’s Chief of Staff for five years. “To date, we’ve transferred more than $51 billion to support education, and more than one million students have pursued their educational dreams thanks to the Bright Futures Scholarship Program [which began in 1997].”
Asked what drove the Florida Lottery to the top of the American class in terms of total sales (and what keeps it there), Dixon is quick to credit the human element. “People come to us to try to figure out what the secret sauce is. We are hitting some historic numbers with the efforts of our team here. I think we have the best sales staff in the country, and our nearly 14,000 retailer partners are the face of the Lottery. They work closely with us and provide great product placement and great customer service. Combine that with our experienced products and marketing leaders, and it’s a team effort. They are the best in the business!”
A critical part of the entire team’s effort is responsible gambling. “It is core to everything that we do, something we keep in mind when we are designing our players’ experience.” The message is everywhere, from retail to marketing communications to social media. Along with security and integrity, it’s all part of maintaining the public trust. “Our success is dependent on people trusting us and recognizing that while we are trying to generate as much revenue as possible for education, we are doing that in a very responsible way.”
Products First
The Lottery is clearly successful in reaching all segments of Florida’s population – adults of any age, permanent residents, snowbirds, and an increasing number of visitors who seek beaches, fun and sun. “We need a game and product mix that appeals to the wide range of players we have,” emphasizes Dixon. That game mix is based on market and player research that helps the team thoroughly understand what players want to see. There are tried and true games, including beloved family games, and new games that bring plenty of player attention.
As with most lotteries, scratch-off games are the dominant product in Florida – with more than $7.1 billion in sales in FY26, about 73% of total sales. Eight price points are offered, from $1 to $50. The Lottery’s first $50 game launched in February 2022; there are currently four such games in the market.
Dixon notes that one of the best things about his new role is the chance to meet players who come in with a big win. “I remember one guy who came in, and I asked him why he bought a particular ticket. He said, ‘That’s really one appealing ticket.’ So, I think that we do a very good job of designing tickets that appeal to the folks in Florida!”
Some of the most successful instant games in recent years include Gold Rush Multiplier, $500,000 Cash Blowout and $50, $100 or $500 Blowout. This success doesn’t come by accident in Florida – it’s the result of three key strategies that sustain growth: effective product lifecycle management, a balanced product portfolio, and continuous innovation.
Games are introduced with release schedules and order quantities that allow products to gain traction, build player loyalty, and maximize sales performance throughout their lifecycle. There’s also a focus on maintaining the right mix of price points, themes, and playstyles that appeal to both core players and new or lapsed players. “By establishing strong core games and introducing complementary products at a consistent cadence, we keep the portfolio fresh while minimizing cannibalization,” says Dixon. “We continually monitor sales performance, player research, and market trends, using those insights to refine the portfolio and optimize overall results.”
Long-term growth depends on continuous innovation, emphasizes the Florida team. New playstyles, licensed properties and game mechanics all help appeal to new player segments, and existing products are continually enhanced with added play value, alternative value propositions, and unique print features that help differentiate the games. Importantly, several of the Lottery’s $5 games offer $1 million top prizes, an attractive proposition for the price point. “By combining disciplined portfolio management with data-driven decision-making and ongoing innovation, we position the agency to achieve sustainable growth while meeting the evolving needs of our players.”
While game design plays a big role in success, that design is based on research. Player panels regularly receive surveys to help the Lottery determine what players like and are likely to purchase.
The draw side of the portfolio includes Powerball and Mega Millions, along with the in-state games Florida Lotto, Jackpot Triple Play, Fantasy 5, the daily Pick games (2, 3, 4, and 5 digits) and the Lottery’s newest game, Cash Pop. Introduced in January 2022, Cash Pop replaced Fast Play and was an overnight success. Drawn five times daily, Cash Pop brought in $137 million in sales in FY25 – far more than Fast Play ever achieved.
Some of these games are combined into “Grouper” play, a popular option that offers extra value for players. For $5, players receive a package worth $6: a $3 Florida Lotto ticket with EZMatch, a $1 Jackpot Triple Play ticket, a $1 Pick 4 Straight ticket, and a $1 Fantasy 5 ticket. Or players can upsize to Grouper Super Sampler, receiving $12 worth of tickets for just $10: a $3 Powerball with Double Play, a $3 Florida Lotto with Double Play, a $2 Fantasy 5 with EZMatch, a $2 Cash Pop, and a $2 Jackpot Triple Play with Combo.
The Florida Lottery also offers QUICKTICKET, first developed for the Texas market. Introduced in Florida in August 2022, they are available in the check-out lanes at statewide Winn-Dixie, Harveys, and Fresco Y Más supermarkets and liquor stores (brands originally under the Southeastern Grocers umbrella, recently renamed The Winn-Dixie Company). Florida updated the pre-printed tickets for the $5 Mega Millions game change last year, and is the only state to continue offering the product for both that game and Powerball.
Retail Success
Of course, players have to find the games at retail, and that’s where a great partnership with over 13,600 retailers really matters. “They work very closely with us in making sure that they have our products and that we get great product placement,” says Dixon.
That retail relationship received a big boost in 2024 after the legislature approved a pilot project that provided additional sales reps. “We were able to focus on giving sales reps additional time in the stores to give our retailers more of a personal touch as best we can. There was a tremendous return on that investment.” After all, the more time that can be spent with retailers, the better the reps can assist with product placement and answer questions.
Another benefit of that legislation was the addition of an incentive program for the sales reps. “In any sales organization, you want to reward people for their efforts,” notes Dixon. “It helps to have some healthy competition between sales reps and sales districts.” There’s an ongoing leaderboard, and a Secretary’s Trophy that goes to the district with the highest annual sales growth rate, excluding jackpot games. “So not only do we have a great product, we now have incentives in place that will reward our sales team for their efforts.”
Both more in-store time and added incentives combine to help the Lottery maximize new game activation rates. Already an industry leader in new game activations, there is now an expectation of 100% activation by day four of a game’s launch week. A sales rep can earn a reward if they can reach 100% activation by day two. In addition, consistent activation performance is rewarded by offering a $500 bonus if a sales rep can achieve 100% activation by day two of every launch over the full fiscal year.
The results are impressive. Overall, there’s been a 14% increase in the number of sales reps recording a greater-than-average growth rate in instant game sales. In addition, the new game activation rates have increased, with 111 sales reps achieving 100% activation on day two of the launch (compared to just 60 when the program first started). That means new games are available quickly, and players embrace everything that’s new.
The recent legislation had one more important provision – the addition of 500 new self-service vending machines, increasing the legislated cap from 2,500 to 3,000. That helps get the games in front of more players in a variety of locations.
As noted, the stores offering QUICKTICKET are part of The Winn-Dixie Company, and some of those locations are also testing in-lane options for other lottery products as well, including instant tickets.
All of these efforts help the Lottery maximize revenues from current retailers and provide attractive options to increase the number and types of retailers. Where possible, new trade styles are explored. As Walgreens explores lottery relationships nationally, Florida is watching. Opportunities with airports are also being explored. “We’re always looking for new locations that will help us attract new players and achieve incremental sales,” emphasizes Dixon.
Spreading the Word
Once the products are in market, marketing is key to driving awareness – and marketing is changing for all consumer products companies, including lotteries. People are moving away from traditional television and towards streaming services and social media, and that trend is accelerating. As a result, lotteries are focusing less on traditional marketing, and Florida is no exception. After all, marketing needs to meet people where they are, and increasingly they are consuming media through a device in their hand.
That’s not to say there aren’t continued efforts with traditional out-of-home. Billboards are a staple in Florida, and digital billboards take that tried-and-true roadside advertising to new heights.
As advertising transitions to digital and social media platforms, there’s an increasing effort to reach not only core players but new players as well. “We need to make sure that our product is being placed in front of those people who want to purchase, and we’re also trying to make sure we have a good mix to get the best return on our dollar,” says Dixon.
Florida has optimized its jackpot awareness strategy by leveraging data-driven insights that keep Powerball and Mega Millions top of mind, at the right time. “Our multistate jackpot media strategy is designed to maximize player awareness and engagement while making the most efficient use of our marketing investment,” explains Dixon.
As Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots grow, media support is strategically increased by expanding messaging across digital, broadcast, social, and owned channels at key jackpot milestones to build excitement and encourage ticket sales. Research has shown that paid advertising delivers the greatest impact when jackpots are below approximately $800 million. “As jackpots continue growing past that point, news coverage, social media conversations, and word-of-mouth naturally amplify public interest, reducing the need for additional paid advertising,” says Dixon. “This phased approach ensures we invest at the moments where advertising is most effective while allowing earned media and consumer excitement to carry the momentum during record-setting jackpot runs.”
There is extensive use of paid or boosted social content for jackpot games, currently starting at the $250 million jackpot level. Rather than continually revise the ads for specific jackpot amounts, “now over” messaging allows ads to run longer and drive more reach, updated for every $100 million increase in the jackpot until it reaches $500 million. At that point, exact jackpot amounts are featured in social posts. “That helps generate excitement among our followers.”
Animated reels kick in at $1 billion, featuring fun graphics that drive jackpot awareness and encourage ticket purchase.
High jackpots also trigger pinned “how to play” videos on the Lottery’s social feeds to make them easily accessible and to encourage repeat visits. “Increases in comments, shares, and saves demonstrate the long-term value of keeping relevant content pinned at the top of the feed during these high jackpot windows,” emphasizes Dixon.
At retail, in-store digital displays include high jackpot alerts, and L-bars of current jackpot amounts appear alongside Gas Station TV (GSTV) at pumps. Digital out-of-home boards focus on dual jackpots during high jackpot rolls for both Powerball and Mega Millions.
Focus on Students
While marketing games is necessary to drive sales, it’s also critical to build brand equity and connection by reinforcing where the money goes. In recent years, the Lottery has revamped the way beneficiary awareness is handled. Under Dixon’s direction, there’s more to the discussion than “we fund education.” Certainly, that’s a big part of the Florida Lottery’s reason for being, providing critical funding for Florida schools, colleges and universities. In 1997, the Lottery-funded Bright Futures Scholarship Program was added to the mix, reaching Florida’s students in a very real way. There’s a need to emphasize the details about how the program works and how important it is for both parents and students to understand how students can qualify.
“Working with the Department of Education, we designed an initiative that includes a user-friendly and more appealing website that helps both parents and students understand the need to start planning early.” It spells out the requirements, from schoolwork to volunteering hours to deadlines and more, charting a path as early as elementary school that emphasizes how the Bright Futures Scholarship Program can provide important opportunities for the future.
With the Bright Futures Scholarship Program, students don’t compete with other students; they earn the scholarship on their own merits. While not every student will ultimately qualify for the scholarships, completing many or most of the requirements already sets students up for success in life.
And the new initiative doesn’t stop with students after they first receive a scholarship. Another goal is to find ways to support the students, so they maintain the scholarship to fully complete a degree or a vocational program. “We have some big ideas in the works,” says Dixon.
A Bright Future
Clearly big ideas run throughout the Florida Lottery, with big results. Product, Marketing, and Sales “all work together like a three-legged stool, so no one thing is more important than the other,” emphasizes Dixon, again stressing the importance of a strong, knowledgeable team. “We have to listen to the folks who have the expertise.”
Through it all, it’s important to have accountability in every decision to maintain public confidence. Integrity and transparency “are the foundation of everything that we do.”
Not surprisingly, Dixon is optimistic about the future of the Florida Lottery, despite broader economic challenges. The additional resources for retailers and the sales team, the great products, and innovative marketing all contribute to that optimism. Add some population growth and an increasing number of visitors to the state, and it all “puts us in a unique position to increase our sales.”
