Formation | April 4, 1989 |
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Headquarters | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
President & CEO | Mary Harville |
Website | www |
The Kentucky Lottery, began in April 1989 after a November 1988 vote in which over 60% of voters cast ballots in favor of it. [1] On April 4, 1989, ticket sales began at over 5,000 licensed retailers with over $5 million in sales on the first day. Kentucky Lottery players had two Scratch-off games to choose from, including, Beginner's Luck ($1) and Kentucky Derby Dreamstakes ($2).
Kentucky Lottery proceeds fund college scholarship and grant programs across the Commonwealth, including every dime of the popular KEES program. More than $4.0 Billion in scholarships and grants have been awarded to Kentucky students.
The first legally authorized "lottery" in Kentucky was held in 1792 in order to raise funds to build a church in Lexington. [2]
A modern lottery was a highly debated topic in the gubernatorial race of 1987. Wallace G. Wilkinson, who went on to become governor, touted the introduction of a state lottery in a heavily funded campaign that ended up being one of the biggest gubernatorial victories in Kentucky history.
As the incumbent Lieutenant Governor, Steve Beshear opposed the lottery in the 1987 race. Ironically, 20 years later, Beshear became Governor-Elect after running on a platform in support of legalized gambling in Kentucky in the 2007 race against Ernie Fletcher.
Pick 3 is drawn twice daily, every day of the week. There are various wagers and prizes. The top prize for Pick 3 is $600, based on a $1 straight wager.
Pick 4 is also drawn twice daily, every day of the week. The top prize is $5,000, based on a $1 straight wager. There are also various wagers and prizes with Pick 4.
Cash Ball 225 is drawn daily. Cash Ball uses a 4+1 matrix (Mega Millions and Powerball each use a 5+1 matrix). Cash Ball draws four numbers from 1 through 35, followed by the Cash Ball (numbered 1 through 25). Cash Ball offers a top prize of $225,000 and each play is only $1. For an additional $1 per play, players can add EZ Match for a chance to win up to $500 instantly.
Introduced on November 21, 2022. Players pick 5 numbers from 1 to 39, and plays cost $1. For an additional $1, players can multiply the non-jackpot prizes with the Xtra Multiplier feature, by 2, 3, 4, or even up to 5 times. When the Xtra option has been purchased, players will receive a computer-selected multiplier number of 2X, 3X, 4X or 5X assigned to each play wagered. Players also win by matching at least 3 or 4 numbers. Matching 2 numbers while the Xtra is active, the prize is fixed at $2. The starting jackpot prize is $40,000, and if there's no winner in a drawing, it keeps rolling. Drawings are held every night at 11 PM ET/10 PM CT. The Kentucky 5 commenced the ticket sales on November 20, 2022, and the first drawing was held one day later.
5 Card Cash is drawn daily and also has an instant win feature. Each 5 Card Cash play costs $2 and only one play will be printed on a ticket. Each ticket is a quick pick play with five card symbols, no card knowledge or skill is needed to play. Players can win instantly at the time of purchase if the card symbols on their ticket match a specified winning hand from the prize structure. The top prize for an instant win is $5,000. The top prize for the nightly drawing is $100,000. The game has ended as of the Saturday, March 26, 2022, drawing.
Keno offers a top prize of $100,000. Drawings take place every four minutes. Players choose how many numbers (spots) they want to play per draw. They can select up to 10 numbers from 1 through 80 or select Quick Pick and let the computer randomly select numbers for them. For an additional cost per play, they can add a Multiplier and/or Bulls-Eye for a chance to win bigger prizes. Total Ticket Cost = Base Keno Wager + Multiplier (if selected) + Bulls-Eye (if selected) x Number of Consecutive Draws.
CASH POP drawings are every day, every four minutes. Players choose how many CASH POP numbers to play per draw. They select 1 number or up to 15 numbers from 1 to 15, or select Quick Pick and let the computer randomly select number(s) for them. Players can select "Cover All" to play all 15 numbers for a guaranteed win. The Total Ticket Cost = Amount of CASH POP Numbers Selected x Wager Amount per Number x Number of Consecutive Draws.
Powerball is drawn three nights a week - Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at approximately 11 PM ET. Each play is $2. Players choose five white balls (1-69) and one Powerball (1-26) or they can select the Quick Pick option to let the computer randomly select their numbers. For an additional $1 per play, players can add Power Play to multiply their winnings (excluding the jackpot). Jackpot winners choose between 30 graduated annual payments or its cash option.
Players choose five white ball (1-70) and one Mega Ball (1-25) or they can select the Quick Pick option to let the computer randomly select their numbers. Each play is $2 and for an additional $1 per play, the Megaplier can be added for a chance to multiply winnings (except the jackpot). Players can also choose to play Just the Jackpot for only $3 for two chances to win the jackpot prize only. Jackpot winners choose between 30 graduated annual payments or its cash option. Mega Millions is drawn on Tuesdays and Fridays at approximately 11 PM ET.
Lucky For Life is drawn every day of the week. Players choose five white balls (1–48) and one Lucky Ball (1–18) or allow the computer to randomly select their numbers by choosing the Quick Pick option. The top prize is $1,000-per-day-for-life; the second prize is $25,000-per-year-for-life. Winners of either "lifetime" prize can choose cash in lieu of the annuity payments.
The Kentucky Lottery offers more than 40 Scratch-offs at any given time, ranging in price from $1 to $50. The Fastest Road to $3 Million, Break Fort Knox, and 300x (as of 2024) are $30 tickets offering a $3 million top prize, the largest top prize ever offered by the Kentucky Lottery. The first $30, 3 Million top prize scratch off was Fastest Road to 3 Million. It launched in the spring of 2021 and has since been discontinued as of 2023.
Kentucky's residents can also purchase Kentucky Lottery tickets via the Kentucky Lottery website, kylottery.com. They must be registered through the Fun Club to purchase tickets online or through the mobile app.
Kentucky Lottery players can play Instant Play games on the Kentucky Lottery's website. There are nearly 60 games to choose from 50-cents to $20 in price, with top prizes reaching $300,000.
Currently, Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky For Life, Cash Ball 225, Keno, Pick 3 and Pick 4 can be purchased.
Fast Play is a series of terminal-generated games with instant cash prizes and a rolling jackpot. Players can ask their Kentucky Lottery retailer for a Fast Play ticket for the game they wish to play, and a ticket will be printed on demand right from the lottery terminal.
All Fast Play games are eligible to win a percentage of the rolling jackpot. The jackpot grows with every ticket sold, and jackpots start at $10,000. How to play instructions are printed on every Fast Play ticket, as well as the amount of the estimated rolling jackpot.[ citation needed ]
An individual must be 18 years old to play the Kentucky Lottery.
Mega Millions is an American multijurisdictional lottery game. The first drawing took place on September 6, 1996, with six participating states, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Virginia. After growth of the game in 1997, a Tuesday Drawing was added in February 1998. As of June 30, 2023, it is offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The first Mega Millions drawing was in 2002. What is now Mega Millions initially was offered in six states, the logo for all versions of the game following the retirement of The Big Game name featured a gold-colored ball with six stars to represent the game's initial membership, although some lotteries insert their respective logos in the ball.
Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and overseen by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which also manages other large jackpot games such as the Mega Millions. Drawings are held three times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time, at the Florida Lottery's headquarters in Tallahassee.
The Georgia Lottery Corporation, known as the Georgia Lottery, is overseen by the government of Georgia, United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the lottery takes in over US$1 billion yearly. By law, half of the money goes to prizes, one-third to education, and the remainder to operating and marketing the lottery. The education money funds the HOPE Scholarship, and has become a successful model for other lotteries, including the South Carolina Education Lottery.
The Florida Lottery is the government-operated lottery of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2022, the lottery offers eleven terminal-generated games: Cash4Life, Mega Millions, Powerball, Florida Lotto, Pick 2, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Fantasy 5, Cash Pop, and Jackpot Triple Play. A player must be 18 or older to play.
The Pennsylvania Lottery is operated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Lottery was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on August 26, 1971; two months later, Henry Kaplan was appointed as its first executive director. The Pennsylvania Lottery sold its first tickets on March 7, 1972 and drew its first numbers on March 15, 1972.
The New York Lottery is the state-operated lottery in the US state of New York that began in 1967. As part of the New York State Gaming Commission, it provides revenue for public education and is based in Schenectady.
The Oklahoma Lottery is an American lottery that is operated by that state's government. The Lottery, which began ticket sales on October 12, 2005, is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL).
The Maine Lottery is run by the government of Maine. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), whose flagship game is Powerball. It was founded in 1974 after being approved through a voter referendum.
The Montana Lottery is run by the government of Montana. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). The Montana Lottery's portfolio consists of scratch tickets, plus Mega Millions, Powerball, Lotto America, Montana Millionaire, Lucky for Life, Big Sky Bonus, Montana Sports Action, Treasure Play and Montana Cash.
The Connecticut Lottery Corporation, also called the CT Lottery, is the official lottery in Connecticut. It was created in 1971 by then-Gov. Thomas Meskill, who signed Public Act No. 865. The first tickets were sold on February 15, 1972. The Connecticut Lottery offers several in-house drawing games; Connecticut also participates in Mega Millions and Powerball; each are played in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Texas Lottery is the government-operated lottery available throughout Texas. It is operated by the Texas Lottery Commission, headquartered in downtown Austin, Texas.
The New Jersey Lottery is run by the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its In-house draw games are Pick-3, Pick-4, Jersey Cash 5, Pick-6, Quick Draw, and Cash Pop. Its multi-jurisdictional draw games are Cash4Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball. The Lottery also sells Fast Play and scratch-off tickets. The New Jersey Lottery is headquartered at One Lawrence Park Complex in Lawrence Township, Mercer County.
The Hoosier Lottery is the official state lottery of Indiana, and is the only US lottery that uses the state's nickname as its official name. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). The Hoosier Lottery sells scratch-off tickets; its draw games include Mega Millions, Hoosier Lotto, Powerball, Cash 5, and Poker Lotto.
The Louisiana Lottery Corporation (LLC) is a government-run lottery that is used to generate revenue without increasing taxes. The proceeds of the Lottery go to the Minimum Foundation Program that funds public education in Louisiana. The daily activities involved with running the cooperation are handled by the president of the Louisiana Lottery Cooperation. The president is under the supervision of the Lottery's nine-member governing board of directors.
The Michigan Lottery was initiated under the authority of Public Act 239 in 1972, and collects funds to support Michigan’s public school system.
The Rhode Island Lottery is run by the government of Rhode Island. The modern form of the Rhode Island Lottery was inaugurated in 1974, following a constitutional amendment passed in 1973. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Rhode Island Lottery games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Wild Money, Keno, and scratch tickets. The Rhode Island Lottery also offers online lottery games and oversees and regulates video lottery as well as sports betting.
The Colorado Lottery is run by the state government of Colorado. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association(MUSL).
The Virginia Lottery is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was created in 1987 when Virginians voted in a statewide referendum in favor of a state lottery. The first ticket was sold on September 20, 1988. All profits from Virginia Lottery ticket sales go to K-12 public education, as required by Virginia's constitution. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Lottery's profits totaled more than $867.4 million, accounting for approximately 10 percent of school funding in Virginia. That brought total Lottery profits in Virginia to more than $15.5 billion.
The South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) began in 2002.
The Mississippi State Lottery is a lottery authorized by the Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Law in 2018. It is administered by the Mississippi Lottery Corporation. The corporation expected to begin scratch off sales by December 1, 2019, with sales of draw game tickets in 2020. However, this was bought forward to November 25th as announced by Mississippi Lottery Corporation. On August 2, 2019, the Mississippi Lottery Corporation announced its acceptance into the Multi-State Lottery Association, with sales of Mega Millions and Powerball beginning on January 30, 2020.