The California State Lottery has been around since 1984, and has a rich history with plenty of exciting California lottery information to learn. To buy or redeem tickets you have to be a resident and 18 years old, but before you head out to play, you may want to learn more about how the lottery got started and what your money will be going to.

California State Lottery History

The California State Lottery started on November 6, 1984 after the people voted for Proposition 37, called the California State Lottery Act of 1984. The first tickets were sold on October 3, 1985.

Games in the lottery include Mega Millions, Super LOTTO Plus, Fantasy 5, Daily 3, Daily 4, Daily Derby, and scratchers.

• MEGA Millions is a $1 multi-state jackpot game whose jackpot begins at 12 million dollars. Odds of winning a prize are around 1 in 40. The jackpot is paid in 26 annual installments or the winner can pick the cash value and get a lump sum. A lump sum is between 55% and 60% of the total prize.
• SuperLOTTO Plus has a beginning jackpot of 7 million dollars and costs $1 to play. The largest jackpot so far was $193 million in 2002.
• Fantasy 5 is a $1 game where you or the computer picks five numbers from 1 to 39. The jackpot starts at 50,000 dollars and goes up if no one wins. Odds of winning a prize are 1 in 9.
• Daily 3 is a shared prize-pool game that costs $1 and there are two drawings every day. The prizes depend on how much was wagered and the number of winners.
• Daily 4 is a shared prize-pool game with four numbers from 0 to 9. Drawings occur once a day.
• Daily Derby has drawings every day. Each play costs $2.
• Scratchers are sold for $1, $2, $3, and $5. The top prize on a $5 ticket is 2, 000,000 dollars.

The Proceeds from the California State Lottery

From the proceeds of the Lottery, 50 percent goes to the prizes, 34 percent goes to education, and 16 percent goes to the administration of the Lottery. In April of 2010, this was changed to 87 percent going to the public and 13 percent goes to administration.

The Lottery gives over 1 billion dollars annually to education. 77 percent goes to educators, 18 percent goes to materials, like books and computers, and 5 percent goes to other programs and services. From 1985 to 2009, the lottery has given almost 22 billion dollars to education. In 2009, the California State Lottery made almost 3 billion dollars, and has made over 59 billion dollars since 1985.

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the winning number information on this web page, mistakes can occur. In the event of any discrepancies, California State laws and California Lottery regulations will prevail. Lottery data is provided for entertainment and informational purposes only. SuperMedia does not condone or encourage the practice of gambling by providing this information. If you or someone you love have a gambling problem, learn more through Gamblers Anonymous.