The Hoosier Lottery is once again on track to send more money to the state than expected.
There’s two more months of revenue to be tallied. And the lottery is currently expected to send $340 million to the state this year. That’s money that supports teacher retirement and police and firefighter pensions. It also helps reduce the license plate fees Hoosiers pay at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
That $340 million expectation is better than projected when the fiscal year began last July. And it’s almost a record – it would be the second highest amount ever delivered to Indiana.
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The record was set last year, when – amid the ongoing pandemic – the lottery shattered all predictions. Lottery executive director Sarah Taylor said no one expected a repeat performance this year.
"We wanted to be a little careful about predicting that it would be just like that year before because so much, as we now know with supply chains, people’s behaviors have adjusted," Taylor said.
The final numbers are expected at the commission’s next meeting in August.
Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.