This article, from The Arizona Republic, documents how difficult it is to find where Arizona lottery profits are going. Instead of directing a portion of profits directly to, for example, K-12 education or health care, the lottery puts money into a general fund. This money could be going to Arizona schools, or it could be going to the pensions of Arizona lawmakers, but because of the nature of the general fund, it is impossible to track. The article shows how the amount of money the lottery says it puts back into the community can be deceiving.

2013 Arizona Lottery revenue has grown, but tracking how funds are used proves difficult