By Kate Northrop

On Wednesday, the Kentucky Lottery announced that it was named the best place to work in the state by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management.

In March, the unranked list of companies who made the cut for 2021 was released, but the official ranked list was announced last week at the 17th Annual Best Places to Work in Kentucky awards ceremony held in Lexington.

The Kentucky Lottery was ranked the Best Place to Work in Kentucky in the medium-sized company category of businesses (150 to 499 employees) for 2021.

The award recipient and rankings are determined by results of an employee survey of workplace satisfaction. Companies are also evaluated for their policies, practices, and demographics.

In 2005, the Kentucky Lottery made the list when they ranked 18th in the medium-sized company designation.

"To have the designation as the best place to work in the entire state — even in light of circumstances no one ever could have imagined possible —  is such a tremendous honor for all of us," Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Mary Harville said in a press release. "We've worked hard to create an atmosphere that is a great place to work while at the same time shattering sales records. Those two goals can successfully coexist, and we're now an example of that."

Just last month, the Lottery reported a record $1.3 billion in fiscal year-to-date sales, the largest in the organization's 32-year history and $369.7 million (39.6%) higher compared to the same period the year before.

"The best interest of our employees has always been top of mind for us as we've navigated the challenging times of the last year, and it's reaffirming to see our employees appreciating what we've been able to accomplish," Harville concluded.