The Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. has announced it posted its highest first-quarter sales returns in the organization's almost 12-year history.

Rebecca Hargrove, president and CEO of the state's education lottery, said in a news release Monday that the corporation saw first-quarter sales of $361.7 million, or a 10 percent increase over last year.

The majority of the lottery's revenue goes to paying winners, while a portion also is handed out to retailers.

Since Jan. 20, 2004, nearly 1 million scholarships, grants and dual-enrollment awards have been awarded to Tennessee students, according to the news release. Lottery funds also are used to support other education-related activities, such as after-school programs, an ongoing project to make schools more energy efficient and Tennessee