TURNER: Veterans Cash Sales Top $5.3 Million in First Month

Over $1 million raised to help Texas veterans in four weeks

Austin – State Representative Chris Turner announced today that total sales to date for the Veterans Cash scratch-off ticket have topped $5.3 million since the game was launched on November 9th.  During the first four weeks of sales, $5,345,108 worth of the $2 tickets were purchased statewide. As a result, the Fund for Veterans Assistance (FVA) will be receiving over $1 million based on sales to date.

“I am thrilled to see that the initial veterans lottery game is off to such a great start,” said Turner.  “With so many men and women returning from service in Afghanistan and Iraq joining the ranks of the 1.7 million veterans in Texas, organizations that provide aid to veterans need resources now more than ever,” he continued.  Turner authored and passed legislation in the House to create the dedicated lottery game to benefit the FVA.

“In this season of sharing and helping those less fortunate among us, the people of Texas have proven once again that they support our active duty military, our veterans, and their families by participating in the veterans scratch-off lottery ticket program.  The money that will go into the Permanent Fund for Veterans Assistance will provide much-needed help for our disabled veteran population, and will go a long way in easing their burdens into the foreseeable future,” said John Miterko, Legislative Liaison, Texas Coalition of Veteran Organizations.

The FVA was created by the Texas Legislature in 2007 to provide aid to veterans and their families in need. However, the FVA was not funded by the Legislature until the lottery game was created this year. With the revenue from the Veterans Cash scratch-off tickets, the FVA will be able to provide grants to organizations who help veterans and their families who are in need of services, such as transportation to and from VA hospitals and clinics, job placement services and treatment for PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Twenty-three (23) percent of the sales of the Veterans Cash ticket go to the FVA. The remaining goes to prizes paid out (65%), administration (7%) and retailers commissions (5%). The Texas Lottery Commission has projected that the veterans lottery game will raise up to $9 million annually for the FVA.

For his efforts on veterans issues and the creation of the veterans lottery game, Turner was named “Freshman of the Year” by the bipartisan Veterans Caucus and received the Leadership Award from the Texas Veterans Commission.