Florida Lottery

The Florida Lottery is the government-operated lottery of the U.S. state of Florida, created after voters approved a constitutional amendment in the November 1986 general election. It began operating on January 12, 1988, following efforts by Governor Bob Martinez and the Florida legislature to establish a dedicated new revenue source for public education in the state. Its first product was a one-dollar scratch-off game called Millionaire, launched in 1988 at the lottery's founding. Since then the organization has expanded into instant scratch-off tickets, draw-based number games and multi-state jackpot games, with proceeds continuing to be directed toward Florida's public education funding, the purpose the founding legislation and amendment were written to serve.