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Louisiana Lottery leaders are taking another look at iLottery, online ticket sales, after revenue fell to a three-year low in 2025, raising fresh questions about how the state protects a dependable stream of money for public schools.
After posting a record year in 2023 with more than $653.3 million in revenue, the Louisiana Lottery Corporation says revenue has stepped down in back-to-back years, $642.8 million in 2024 and $585.2 million in 2025, the lowest total in three years.
Lottery leaders have also pointed to the 2023 high-water mark as an outlier driven by unusually big jackpot cycles, rather than a baseline they could expect to hit every year.
Why the dip matters: schools have a steady claim on lottery dollars
According to reporting, lottery proceeds are a steady plug-in for K-12 education funding. Louisiana law directs roughly $200 million a year to the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP), and in the high-water 2023 year, more than $212 million flowed to public schools, money that otherwise would need to come from the general fund.
The lottery says 2023 net sales of $653.3m translated into $212m for education, and FY2024 net sales of $642.8m translated into $205m for education. Even when jackpots cool and ticket demand settles down, those education transfers are a major reason lawmakers keep a close eye on lottery performance.
“Normalized” sales, and a new push to talk iLottery again
Louisiana Lottery President and CEO Rose Hudson has described the post-2023 slide as a return to typical patterns, after multistate jackpots inflated sales to record levels.
“Those years created an unusually high benchmark, and as expected, performance has normalized as jackpot cycles and player behavior return to more typical patterns,” Hudson said.
Lottery leadership is once again talking seriously about iLottery, selling tickets online, after previous tries ran into resistance, especially from retail sellers worried about losing foot traffic.
Hudson also signaled that any renewed push would have to be careful and politically realistic, including a model that doesn’t leave retail partners behind.
She said the corporation is “always looking at the broader marketplace” and having “thoughtful, responsible conversations” about possible “iLottery legislation” and “partnership models” with brick-and-mortar sellers.
Lawmakers are studying the idea, but retailers remain a hurdle
The online ticket sales proposal has been under review by a House Criminal Justice subcommittee chaired by Rep. Vanessa Caston LaFleur, who planned to deliver a report and introduce legislation this session.
The biggest opposition will come from retail outlets that sell lottery products have historically pushed back on iLottery bills. They argue that online sales could cannibalize foot traffic. Louisiana lawmakers have been explaining that any bill has to bring those stakeholders along, not bulldoze them.
Analysts: the declines aren’t unusual, but the trend gets attention
State fiscal staff have also tried to lower the rising concerns around the revenue drop. Louisiana Legislative Fiscal Officer Alan Boxberger described the last two years’ declines as “safely in the realm of normal variation.”
Former legislative economist Greg Albrecht also made a similar point. Lottery sales surge when jackpots are huge, and cool when they aren’t, even as the lottery continues sending substantial money back to the state.
No iLottery bill is guaranteed to move quickly in Louisiana
Especially with retailer concerns and the politics that come with expanding digital access. But with 2025 revenue marking the lowest point since the 2023 peak, the lottery’s public posture has changed. Now, lottery it’s open to online sales, if lawmakers want it, and the conversation to be about responsibility, trust, and long-term support for education funding.
Source: Pechanga
