S.C. Lottery generates near-record $606.8M for education

MORNING HEADLINES | The South Carolina Education Lottery on Monday announced its second largest contribution to education in the Palmetto State.

Students across the state will benefit from a transfer of $606.8 million in lottery funds for fiscal year 2026. This brings the lottery’s total funding for education to $9.5 billion since it began in 2002. This year’s total fell just short of the record $607.6 million raised in2021.

“It’s remarkable to think that lottery play in South Carolina raises more than $1.5 million a day for education,” said the lottery’s Chief Executive Officer Dolly Garfield. “This year’s outstanding results are a perfect lead into our 25th anniversary in January. We have much to celebrate.”

This year marked the first year of debit card sales, the rising popularity of $20 scratch-offs, upgrades to ticket displays and two separate Powerball jackpots, all of which contributed to more than a billion dollars in sales, according to an official news release. The 2026 fiscal year also saw lottery players win more than $1.6 billion in prize money and lottery retailers earn in excess of $175 million in commissions.

Lottery proceeds are deposited into the state’s Education Lottery Account from which the S.C. General Assembly makes appropriations in support of higher education scholarships and grants, K-12 public education programs and community education programs throughout the state.

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Also in today’s headlines

CP NEWS: McMaster names Graham’s sister to take his Senate seat. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday picked Darline Graham Nordone, to fill the United State Senate seat of her brother, the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly late Saturday. She will serve the remainder of Graham’s term, which will end in early January 2027.

North Charleston ranked among America’s loudest cities. North Charleston officially ranks among the loudest cities in the country, but residents living near one major interstate feel they do not need a study to tell them what they hear every day.

Folly Beach considers ban on drone fishing over safety concerns. Folly Beach leaders are moving toward a ban on drone fishing, with the city council taking up the issue at a Tuesday meeting.

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9 boats removed, destroyed on the Stono River as backlog of abandoned boats dwindles. Sailboat masts lay splintered in a pile underneath the John F. Limehouse Bridge. At the boat landing on the Stono River, nine abandoned and derelict boats were pulled from Charleston’s waters and promptly demolished.

Applicant withdraws request to remove 200-year-old James Island tree after six months in limbo. After more than six months of uncertainty, a tree that residents have cherished for its historical and cultural significance has been saved.

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