the florida lottery began operation on january 12, 1988 by order of a constitutional amendment approved by florida voters by a 2-to-1 margin in the general election of november 4, 1986. the point of the lottery is to give extra funding to florida education, and it was mandated that a significant proportion of all revenue generated by ticket sales go to the education enhancement trust fund. the bright futures scholarship program is funded by the florida lottery. the minimum age to purchase a florida lottery ticket, regardless of game, is 18.