LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery earned its second-highest revenue total in history, outgaining administrators’ positions by around $71 million, a spokesperson said.

The lottery earned around $580 million in total gross revenue. The money will be split between prizes, retailer commissions and scholarship awards. Scholarships will get around $99.7 million, said spokesperson Ashley McNatt.

“We hope students will continue to take advantage of these scholarships,” McNatt said. “They weren’t around when I was in college. I know every little bit helps.”

Last year, the lottery raised a record revenue. McNatt said it is difficult to pinpoint all the reasons why the numbers have been high, but she said the pandemic’s impact on spending may have played a part.

“Arkansans are winning, and we couldn’t be more excited for them,” ASL Executive Director Eric Hagler said. “Additionally, in buying these tickets, these individuals have helped fund college scholarships for Arkansas students, which has funded more than 675,000 scholarships to date.”

ASL officials say more than 92 cents of every dollar of ASL revenue goes to prizes, scholarships, retailer commissions, and other expenses in Arkansas.

Since 2009, the lottery has raised more than $1.1 billion in proceeds for scholarships. More than 675,000 college scholarships have been awarded to Arkansans.

The lottery has awarded more than $4 billion in prizes to players, about $352 million in retailer commissions, and provided more than $155 million in state and federal tax revenue.