How Minnesota Lottery Achieved Record Sales And Winnings

Are you feeling lucky? Some Minnesotans definitely were, as the North Star State saw record lottery sales last year-- and you won't believe just how much money was won right here in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Lottery has been around for over 34 years, having sold its first lottery tickets back in 1990. Since then, playing the lottery, whether it's Powerball, Mega Millions, or your favorite Minnesota Lottery scratch-off game, has become a fairly popular pastime here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

The Minnesota Reformer says approximately half of adults in Minnesota-- over 50 percent-- reported buying lottery tickets at least once a year, with about 3 percent playing weekly, according to a 2020 report from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

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And that adds up to a lot of money. The Minnesota Lottery breaks down the latest details:

Players cashed in on $476.4 million in prizes in Minnesota during fiscal year 2024.
Lottery sales in the North Star State reached $775.7 million, the third highest total in the lottery’s 34-year history.
Scratch games took the lead at $524.9 million.
Five record-setting jackpot runs fueled Minnesota’s highest lotto game sales to date.

The Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Roseville (Google Maps)

All that winning has continued into this year, as well. For the 2025 fiscal year, which started in July and runs through June, the Gopher State has already seen the following big winners:

+ September 27, 2024: Minnesota recorded its first $2 million Mega Millions win with a ticket purchased at a Holiday Stationstore in Edina.

+ December 31, 2024: A $1 million winning ticket was sold at Cub Foods in Blaine.

+ January 1, 2025: Two $1 million Minnesota Millionaire Raffle prizes were claimed from tickets sold at Bill’s Superette in Nowthen and Casey’s General Store in Tracy.

+ April 16, 2025: A $1 million winning ticket was sold at a Holiday Station Store in Minnetonka.

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All that lottery spending has also generated a lot of money that has supported various projects and entities across the state, the Minnesota Lottery reported:

In fiscal year 2024, a record payout — $196.5 million — was returned to lottery beneficiaries to protect Minnesota’s environment and natural resources and support vital state services serving each of Minnesota’s 87 counties.

Specifically, the Minnesota Lottery says it returned that record amount of money to the following state organizations:

$101.7 million to the General Fund, which supports education, public safety, health and human services
$93.3 million toward programs dedicated to the protection and preservation of Minnesota’s environment and natural resources
$50.7 million to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund
$20.5 million to the Game and Fish Fund
$22.1 million to the Natural Resources Fund
$1.5 million for programs to help prevent and treat problem gambling

You know who likely *doesn't* play the lottery? The following people-- because they're the highest-paid professional athletes in Minnesota in 2025. Keep scrolling to see who made this year's list!