Here's where your money goes when you buy a ticket from a state-run lottery

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A Mega Millions customer purchases her tickets for the estimated jackpot of $1.1 Billion at the Fuel On Convenience Store in Pittsburgh, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Twenty-four consecutive drawings later with no grand prize winner named, the Mega Millions jackpot is now over $1 billion, making it one of the largest jackpots in lottery history. The next drawing is Friday. Gene J. Puskar/AP hide caption

toggle caption Gene J. Puskar/AP

A Mega Millions customer purchases her tickets for the estimated jackpot of $1.1 Billion at the Fuel On Convenience Store in Pittsburgh, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Twenty-four consecutive drawings later with no grand prize winner named, the Mega Millions jackpot is now over $1 billion, making it one of the largest jackpots in lottery history. The next drawing is Friday.

Gene J. Puskar/AP

After several weeks of no winners, the Mega Millions jackpot has increased to an estimated $1.35 billion — the second-largest jackpot in the game's history, according to Mega Millions officials.

But it's not just you who could benefit from buying a ticket. Lotteries also benefit some states.

Though specific systems differ between each state, each of the 45 states (along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) that offer lotteries donates a certain percentage of the revenue generated from ticket sales to specific state causes.

(Five states — Alabama, Utah, Alaska, Hawaii and Nevada — don't sell lottery tickets.)

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Research shows that approximately 60% of the revenue from state lotteries goes directly to winners, as the states keep the remaining cash after paying out the prize money and paying certain costs such as advertisements.

For larger lotteries, like Mega Millions or Powerball, half of the ticket revenue goes toward the lottery's prize pool. The remaining half goes toward costs including lottery administration and retailer commissions, in addition to other beneficiaries, a Mega Millions spokesperson told ABC News.

Here's a breakdown of each U.S. state lottery and the beneficiaries each one supports, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries:

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

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Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

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Louisiana

Maine

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Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Editor's Note Jan. 12, 2023

A previous version of this list did not include Pennsylvania or Mississippi.