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SB-859 • 2026

California State Lottery: prize money: immediate payment.

California State Lottery: prize money: immediate payment.

Budget Small Business
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Committee on Governmental Organization (S) - (Senators Padilla (Chair), Archuleta, Ashby, Blakespear, Cervantes, Dahle, Hurtado, Jones, Ochoa Bogh, Richardson, Rubio, Smallwood-Cuevas, Valladares, Wahab, and Weber Pierson)
Last action
2025-10-03
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 332, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on when the law goes into effect or specific rules for the new payment system.

Lottery Prize Money: Immediate Payment

This law increases the maximum immediate payment for lottery winners from $1,000 to $100,000.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the maximum immediate payment for lottery winners from $1,000 to $100,000.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Lottery winners who win up to $100,000 can now get their money right away.
  • The California State Lottery Commission is responsible for making these payments and creating rules around them.

Terms To Know

Revolving Fund
A special fund that the lottery uses to pay out prizes immediately.
Lottery Commission
The group in charge of running and managing the California State Lottery.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify how much money will be set aside for these immediate payments.
  • Does not explain what happens if there are not enough funds to pay out all prizes immediately.
  • Does not say when this law goes into effect after it was signed.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-03 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 332, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-03 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-03 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.

  4. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 2777.) Ordered to the Senate.

  6. 2025-08-21 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.

  7. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 20).

  8. 2025-07-10 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 22. Noes 0.) (July 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  9. 2025-05-19 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on G.O.

  10. 2025-05-08 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  11. 2025-05-08 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1051.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  12. 2025-05-06 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.

  13. 2025-05-05 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar.

  14. 2025-04-25 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing May 5.

  15. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0. Page 831.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  16. 2025-03-27 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 22.

  17. 2025-03-26 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on G.O.

  18. 2025-03-14 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after April 13.

  19. 2025-03-13 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 859, Committee on Governmental Organization.
California State Lottery: prize money: immediate payment.
The California State Lottery Act of 1984 authorizes a California State Lottery and provides for its operation and administration by the California State Lottery Commission and the Director of the California State Lottery. The act establishes the State Lottery Fund as a continuously appropriated fund for carrying out the purposes of the act and requires the fund to receive all proceeds from the sales of lottery tickets or shares, the temporary line of credit for initial startup costs, and all other moneys credited to the lottery from any other source. Existing law authorizes the California State Lottery to draw funds from its continuous appropriation for the purpose of making immediate payment through its revolving fund to lottery prizewinners of $1,000 or less, provided that regulations to support the action are adopted by the commission.
This
bill would increase the amount that may be paid immediately to lottery winners under these provisions to $100,000.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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