PROVIDENCE – Rhode Islanders spent $502.01 on the lottery per capita in 2017, the second-highest amount in the nation only to Massachusetts, according to a report from LendEdu Tuesday.
Massachusetts residents spent $737.01 on lottery per capita for the year, a decline from $762.98 in 2016. Rhode Island spending on lottery per capita also declined year over year in 2017 from $598.47.
The average lottery expense per capita in the nation was $219.54 in 2017, a decline from $223.04 per capita in 2016. The lowest spending per capita on lottery for any state was in North Dakota at $34.68 in 2017.
New York collected the most in lottery revenue of any state for the year, generating $8.3 billion in revenue. Massachusetts generated $5.1 billion, the fourth most in the nation.
Rhode Island generated $530.8 million in 2017 from lottery collection.
LendEdu used data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The full report may be viewed online.