Lottery Week: Celebrating Our People, Purpose, and Impact

Published June 23, 2026

Every July, Lottery Week gives us an opportunity to celebrate something much bigger than jackpots, game launches, or sales milestones.

It gives us a chance to celebrate our people.

Across North America, thousands of lottery professionals come to work every day with a shared purpose: generating revenue for the public good while providing a safe, entertaining experience for our players. Whether you work in sales, marketing, communications, product development, finance, security, legal, responsible gambling, information technology, claims, administration, or retail support, your work helps make that mission possible.

Lottery Week, observed this year from July 13-19, recognizes the tremendous impact lotteries have on the communities we serve. In fiscal year 2025 alone, U.S. lotteries generated more than $109.3 billion in sales and returned over $28.4 billion to beneficiaries. In Canada, provincial lotteries continued their longstanding contributions to important public priorities, community programs, and services, generating more than C$2.6 billion for the good causes they support.

Those numbers are significant, but they tell only part of the story.

Behind every beneficiary contribution is a team of dedicated professionals ensuring that games are operated fairly, retailers are supported, players are informed, and public trust is maintained. Behind every winning ticket is a network of employees, suppliers, and retailers working together to deliver a secure and enjoyable experience.

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As an industry, we often focus on outcomes: events staged, revenue generated, beneficiaries funded, prizes awarded, and records broken. Lottery Week is an opportunity to pause and recognize the effort, expertise, and commitment required to achieve those outcomes.

It is also a reminder of the unique role lotteries play in our communities. Few industries can point to such a direct connection between their daily work and meaningful public benefit. Our efforts help support education, healthcare, infrastructure, environmental initiatives, veterans' programs, economic development, and countless other causes that improve quality of life for millions of people.

At the same time, lotteries have got to continue to evolve. New technologies, changing consumer expectations, responsible gambling initiatives, cybersecurity challenges, and emerging forms of gaming require us to adapt and innovate. The professionalism and collaboration demonstrated by lottery employees and our industry partners have never been more important. We have also got to continue to tell our story, and look for ways to build affinity with audiences everywhere.

As we prepare to celebrate Lottery Week, I encourage each of us to reflect on the impact of our work and take pride in what we accomplish together. Whether you have spent decades in the industry or joined recently, your contributions matter. The programs funded, the communities supported, and the public trust we uphold are possible because of the people behind the mission.

On behalf of NASPL, thank you for your dedication, professionalism, and commitment to serving your jurisdictions and communities.  It’s an honor to work with you.