The Minnesota Lottery Is Quietly Funding Big Wins For Natural Resources

When we think of the Minnesota Lottery, many of us picture scratch-offs and Powerball tickets, but there’s a much bigger story hiding in plain sight. Behind the scenes, every ticket helps make something happen across Minnesota — and the results might surprise you.

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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How Much Money Minnesota Lottery Players Actually Win

And that adds up to a lot of money. The Minnesota Lottery said earlier this year that it breaks down like this:

• 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.

Lottery Proceeds Are Changing Minnesota’s Landscapes

But the Minnesota Lottery does a lot *MORE* with all that money that hopeful Minnesotans have been spending. In fact, the Lottery says that since 1991, proceeds have helped the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. And over the past 34 years, the lottery has invested over $1.1 billion into over 1,700 projects in all 87 Minnesota counties!

Incredible Projects Funded by Minnesota Lottery Dollars

SEE ALSO: Here Are Minnesota's Biggest Powerball Winners EVER

Here's a partial list of some of the groups the Minnesota Lottery says its proceeds have helped fund: 

• Wilderness education with Friends of the Boundary Waters
• Voyageurs Wolf Project
• Protecting Minnesota’s moose populations
• Expanding the Mesabi Trail
• Protecting and studying Lake Superior
• Improving access at Veterans on the Lake in Ely
• Restoring access to an iconic North Shore vista
• Preserving the Historic Bruce Mine Headframe in Chisholm

And with the current Powerball jackpot sitting at nearly $1 billion for the Wednesday, December 10, 2025, drawing, there's a good chance many Minnesotans will add to those revenues, which the lottery then turns around and invests back in Minnesota!

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