A look at the lottery's money

North Carolina's lottery began operating in March 2006 and now has 6,800 retailers who offer a variety of games and instant scratch-off tickets to customers.

In the most recent fiscal year, sales revenue was divided this way: 62.4 percent to prizes, 26.3 percent to education, 7 percent to retailer commissions and incentives, and 4.4 percent to administrative expenses.

Sales per capita are highest in the state's eastern counties: Nash County has the highest at $497,541 per 1,000 people, while the western county of Graham is the lowest at $45,752 in sales per 1,000 people.

Source: NC Education Lottery

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "A look at the NC lottery's money."