Anderson
People v. Anderson
Opinion
Opinion
Burns, J.
BACKGROUND
A.
Under the California State Lottery Act of 1984 (Lottery Act; Gov. Code, § 8880 et seq. ) 1, the purpose of the Lottery is to provide additional funds to benefit the public education system without increasing taxes. (§ 8880.1.) The Lottery uses no state funds. (§ 8880.3; Western Telcon, Inc. v. California State Lottery (1996) 13 Cal.4th 475, 483 (W. Telcon).) All its revenues are allocated “to maximize the amount of funding” to schools. (§ 8880.4.) After the Lottery pays its operating expenses and winning prizes, the remainder of its revenue—including unclaimed prize money—goes to schools. (§§ 8880.4, subds. (a)(1)-(3), (a)(5), 8880.64, subd. (b)(1), 8880.63, subd. (a), 8880.65; W. Telcon, at p. 483).
Prior to selling tickets to the public, retailers must first purchase the tickets from the Lottery. (See Horan v. State of California (1990) 220 Cal.App.3d 1503, 1509.) The Lottery has discretion to reimburse retailers for stolen tickets. (Lottery Regs., § 7.5.8 (June 29, 2023)