Liquor and Lottery reports FY25 finances, inspections and sports wagering oversight
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Summary
Commissioner Wendy Knight told the committee Vermont saw modest declines in alcohol and lottery sales in FY25, with $18 million liquor profits and $30 million lottery profit transfer to education; the department reported inspection, youth‑access and online enforcement activity and reviewed sports wagering oversight.
The Department of Liquor and Lottery briefed the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee on FY25 financial results, compliance activity and regulatory priorities, including sports wagering oversight and technical corrections to an alcohol bill. Commissioner Wendy Knight provided revenue figures, enforcement data and context for recent policy choices.
Knight said FY25 retail distilled‑spirits sales totaled about $101,000,000, down roughly 2% year over year but a smaller decline than the average among control states. She reported liquor profits of $18,000,000 and said the department transferred $9,500,000 to the general fund last year to address an historical retirement accounting deficit; the department’s FY26 target is a $16,000,000 transfer from the liquor control fund.
On lottery finances, Knight said Vermont Lottery revenue for FY25 was about $155,000,000 with a $30,000,000 profit transfer to the education fund; she emphasized lottery proceeds account for a small share (under 2%) of education funding and that transfers can vary with jackpot cycles and game changes.
The department also reviewed regulatory and enforcement activity. Knight said the department conducted 2,360 regulatory inspections and 1,244 youth‑access compliance checks in FY25, noting an overall compliance rate around 91%. She said the department completed 119 online tobacco compliance checks and referred 29 possible violations to the attorney general’s office. Knight described staffing for compliance—14 sworn officers in the compliance program—and emphasized an education‑first approach.
On sports wagering, Knight summarized the first full fiscal year of revenue share and said Vermont transferred about $6,200,000 in FY25; she noted rising handle and higher payouts have affected adjusted gross revenue and that the department is monitoring integrity risks, including national incidents tied to proposition bets. Knight reiterated Vermont does not allow proposition bets on individual college players.
Knight closed by noting the department had submitted technical corrections to a miscellaneous alcohol bill (including removing an unintended sunset and clarifying special‑event permit language) and offered to testify when the bill reaches committee consideration.
