Since the first lottery ticket was sold in 1986, nearly $4.5 billion in lottery profits have funded statewide programs for education, senior citizens, and tourism, including Promise Scholarships, monies to cities and counties in which video lottery machines are located, and the backing of bonds for economic development endeavors, according to Lottery Director John Musgrave. 

Understandably proud, Musgrave said the Lottery has traveled to nearly every corner of West Virginia to produce television advertisements that have been aired statewide.

"Whether they have won a prize or not, lottery players can feel proud of contributing to such worthwhile programs, bringing reality to the Lottery’s early slogan, 'When you play, everybody wins.'"

Musgrave noted that primarily funded through proceeds from the West Virginia Lottery’s Limited Video Lottery games, the West Virginia PROMISE Scholarship Program has received $166.8 million in lottery revenue since the program was implemented in 2002.

Approximately $23 million of that total has been appropriated from the State's General Revenue Fund, with the balance of $143.5 million funded from Lottery revenue. Musgrave said that more than $27 million of that was generated last year.

The most significant fact behind all those numbers and totals, however, is that for the first time since 1998, the number of students leaving West Virginia to pursue education elsewhere has declined.

PROMISE officials report that since 2002, 47,472 high school graduates have been awarded the scholarships; 46,744 of those accepted the awards at a cost of nearly $160 million.

Approved by the Legislature in 1999, the West Virginia PROMISE Scholarship Program offers West Virginia high school graduates a full tuition scholarship to a state college or university; recipients may receive an equivalent financial scholarship ($2800) to a private instate college.

To qualify, students must graduate with a 3.0 grade point average in core and overall course work, and have a composite ACT score of at least 21, or a combined SAT score of 1000.

The PROMISE Scholarship is based strictly on a student’s achievements rather than other factors, including the financial resources of colleges or of the students’ parents.

Only 16 percent of West Virginians over the age of 25 have a college degree, which compares with nearly 22 percent in the southeastern states and approximately 24 percent nationally.