SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Schools across Missouri are cutting budgets, and the lottery and casinos send hundreds of millions of dollars to education. Fact Finders followed the money to find out why it isn’t going further.
A viewer asked: Why are all the schools complaining about funding when they get lottery, marijuana, and gambling money?
The big numbers
The Missouri Lottery reports $337 million went to education in fiscal year 2026. The lottery says its annual contributions make up 4% of the state’s funding for public education.
The gaming commission says casino gambling contributed about $380 million for 2026 ($379,885,976)…