D.C. Lottery

Last updated
District of Columbia Office of Lottery and Gaming
FormationAugust 2, 1982
TypeLottery System
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Website www.dclottery.com

The DC Lottery (official name District of Columbia Office of Lottery and Gaming) [1] is run by the government of the District of Columbia, in the United States. The DC Lottery is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Games offered include DC 2, DC 3, DC 4, DC 5, Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, DC Keno, Race2Riches, The Lucky One, DC Fast Play, DC Tap-N-Play, and DC Scratchers.

Contents

Since its inception in 1982, the DC Lottery has awarded more than $4.4 billion in prizes to members of its community and transferred more than $2.3 billion to the district’s general fund, which supports essential services in the district. DC Lottery's licensing of charitable gaming activities has helped local nonprofits raise more than $136.5 million in support of social causes. [2]

All D.C. Lottery games have a minimum age of 18.

Charitable games

The board licenses games of chance that are conducted by DC-based non-profit organizations. D.C., Virginia, and Maryland-based charities can offer raffles, with the provision that these drawings are held in the District of Columbia. Organizations seeking to conduct such fundraisers must obtain a license from the board, with D.C. Lottery employees supervising the drawings to assure fairness. [3]

Games

Numbers draw games

DC 2

DC 2 is a two-digit game, drawn twice daily.

DC 3

DC 3 is a three-digit game drawn three times daily.

DC 4

DC 4 is a four-digit game drawn three times daily.

DC 5

DC 5 is a five-digit game drawn twice daily in the style of DC 2, DC 3, and DC 4, with straight and box wagers. It is played in the same manner as Pennsylvania's Pick 5, and Ohio's Pick 5.

Monitor draw games

Race2Riches

Race2Riches is a horse betting type game, drawings are every four minutes, from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Participants bet which horse will win at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

DC Keno

Drawings are held every four minutes, from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily.

The Lucky One

Drawings are held every four minutes, from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily.

Instant-win games

DC Fast Play

DC Fast Play is an instant-style game played at any DC Lottery retailer.

DC TAP-N-PLAY

DC TAP-N-PLAY is an instant game played in select DC Lottery retailers.

DC Scratchers

DC Scratchers are scratch-and-win instant games sold at any DC Lottery retailer.

Multi-state draw games

Lucky for Life

Lucky for Life began in Connecticut in 2009; it expanded in 2015 to include the District of Columbia, and is now offered by 17 jurisdictions.

Mega Millions

On January 31, 2010, most U.S. lotteries with either Mega Millions or Powerball began offering both games. The D.C. Lottery added Mega Millions on the cross-selling expansion date. The largest Mega Millions jackpot was over $650,000,000.

On August 8, 2023, the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won was $1.602 billion in Florida. [4]

Powerball

Since 1988, the D.C. Lottery has been a member of MUSL, which created Powerball in 1992. Its jackpots currently start at $20 million. It is drawn Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights at the Florida Lottery in Tallahassee, Florida. [5]

On September 19, 2010, the D.C. Lottery had entered the wrong Powerball numbers into its computer system. Terminals read some losing tickets as winners, and vice versa. The lottery revised its procedures to prevent such errors from recurring. [6]

On January 31, 2010, most lotteries with either Mega Millions or Powerball began offering both games. The D.C. Lottery added Mega Millions on that date. The largest jackpot in Mega Millions so far was more than $640 million. [7]

Sports wagering

On May 14, 2018 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 which allowed sports wagering only in the State of Nevada to be unconstitutional. [8] This was brought forth in the case of Christie v. the NCAA in which then New Jersey governor Chris Christie (R) wanted to legalize sports wagering in his and other states and territories (Including the District) but professional sports organizations including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Major League Baseball, National Football League and the National Hockey League opposed such operations. Following the ruling, the District of Columbia government, which included Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and the members of the D.C. City Council, began working on legalizing sports wagering within the district. On September 21, 2021 the D.C. City Council passed, and Mayor Bowser signed into law that legalized sports wagering, the D.C. Lottery was tasked with overseeing the regulation of sports wagering licenses and sportsbook facility. [9]

The D.C. Lottery began operating a wagering app which geo-fences customers to areas within the District of Columbia [10] but access to certain areas of the district would be excluded including, Capitol Hill, residential areas and in and around all the federal buildings, and within 2 blocks of a brick and mortar sportsbook facility. [11] The D.C. Lottery also began operating sports wagering kiosks (GambetDC) at authorized D.C. Lottery agents including at local bodegas, bars, gas stations and restaurants. [12] William Hill owned by Caesars Entertainment [13] was the first sportsbook in the District of Columbia opening its temporary sportsbook in an unused box office area of the Capital One Arena on July 31, 2020 and its permanent sportsbook on May 26, 2021, in the former Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Restaurant on the F and 6th Streets N.W. corner of the Capital One Arena. [14] [15] This was followed by BetMGM opening a sportsbook at Nationals Park, FanDuel sportsbook at Audi Field and a sportsbook which will open at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.

As part of the regulations of sports wagering, the District of Columbia prohibits the betting on local college sports including athletics at Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University and Howard University. This is consistent with states like New Jersey which also prohibit wagering on collegiate athletics at big universities like Rutgers, Seton Hall and Princeton.

DC iLottery

The DC Lottery unveiled DC iLottery, a digital sales platform for purchasing lottery games. Players can access DC iLottery from their smart phone, computer, or tablet, and once registered for an account, can play DC3, DC4, DC5, DC Keno, Race2Riches games, and more while physically in the district and not within an area of the District where lottery play is prohibited. The platform uses geolocation technology to confirm a player’s location before a ticket can be purchased. [16]

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References

  1. ↑ District of Columbia Office of Lottery and Gaming About Us Retrieved 26-May-2022
  2. ↑ "About Us". DC Lottery. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  3. ↑ "How to Qualify for a License". D.C. Lottery Board. Archived from the original on 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  4. ↑ "Mega Millions". www.megamillions.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  5. ↑ "Florida Lottery - Lottery Offices". www.flalottery.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  6. ↑ Stabley, Matthew (September 20, 2010). "Unlucky 13: D.C. Lottery Shows Wrong Winning Number". WRC News. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  7. ↑ "Three winning Mega Millions tickets sold". CBS News.
  8. ↑ Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association Sports Wagering case Retrieved 26-May-2022 from Cornell University Law website
  9. ↑ Washington D.C. Votes to Legalize Sports Betting Retrieved on 26-May-2022 from Action Network website.
  10. ↑ D.C. Lottery Sports Wagering Geo-fencing Frequently Asked Questions Retrieved 26-May=2022 from the D.C. Lottery website.
  11. ↑ The Shipstead-Luce Act Area which shows areas where sport wagering is prohibited in the District of Columbia Retrieved on 29-May-2022 from the DC Lottery via their Google Maps page.
  12. ↑ DC Lottery GamBetDC Restricted Area Retrieved 29-May-2022 from the DC Lottery via their Google Maps page.
  13. ↑ Caesars Entertainment announces completion of William Hill Plc. acquisition Retrieved 29-May-2022 from the Caesars Entertainment Investor Relations Press Release website.
  14. ↑ Rick Maese (July 31, 2020). "D.C.'s first sportsbook opens at Capital One Arena". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  15. ↑ William Hill opens Capital One Arena Sportsbook Retrieved 29-May-2022 from the William Hill Limited corporate Press/Media website.
  16. ↑ "DC Lottery's New Online Portal: "Fun Is At Your Fingertips" – La Fleur's Lottery World". 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
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