Maryland Lottery helped send $1.64 billion to state programs last year, with nearly $700 million for schools

Maryland brought in a combined $1.637 billion from the Maryland Lottery, the state's casinos and sports betting operators during the 2026 fiscal year, about $48 million more than the year before.

Casinos contributed the most, followed by lottery profits, then sports betting. Nearly $700 million of the total went to education programs.

"We're proud to operate and oversee gaming that raises critically needed state revenue," said John Martin, director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming. "We take a moment each summer after the fiscal year ends to look at the numbers, but we've also quickly turned our attention to the future as we aim for a strong FY2027 and beyond."

Sports betting is the fastest-growing slice. It contributed $132.3 million in fiscal 2026, up 48.8% from $88.9 million a year earlier, according to the agency's own reporting, with more than $99.7 million of that going to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future education fund. For comparison, the prior year's combined total of $1.589 billion broke down as $831.3 million from casinos, $667.2 million from lottery profits and $89.9 million from sports wagering.

About $5.4 million of fiscal 2026 proceeds went to the state's Problem Gambling Fund, which pays for no-cost counseling services for Maryland residents.

Maryland joins a run of states posting record or near-record years, including Georgia's record $1.54 billion for education. How a ticket's dollar splits between prizes, the state and the retailer is in where every dollar of a scratch-off goes.

Sources

WMAR: Maryland Lottery, casinos and sports betting generate $1.64 billion for state programs

Maryland Lottery and Gaming: sports wagering fiscal 2026 contributions