The North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) is run by the government of North Carolina. It was established after Governor Mike Easley signed the North Carolina State Lottery Act and the 2005 Appropriations Act. North Carolina has one of the United States' youngest lottery systems, having been enacted in 2005. The North Carolina State Lottery Act created the 9-member Lottery commission who was charged with overseeing all aspects of the education lottery. 100% of North Carolina Lottery net proceeds go directly to benefit the state's education, with the current figure sitting at more than $9 billion since its inception in 2007. By law, lottery funds go to pay for school construction, need-based college financial aid, transportation, salaries for non-instructional support staff, and pre-kindergarten for at-risk four-year-olds. The State Lottery Act outlines how each and every dollar produced by the lottery will be spent. The revenue distributions are as follows: 51% was paid out in prizes, 38% was transferred into the education fund, 7% was paid to the retailers who sold lottery tickets, and 4% went to general lottery expenses. The controversial lottery proposal was approved on August 31, 2005, after then-Lieutenant Governor Bev Perdue cast a tie-breaking vote in the North Carolina Senate. (en)