A six-number lottery game is a form of lottery in which six numbers are drawn from a larger pool (for example, 6 out of 44). Winning the top prize, usually a progressive jackpot, requires a player to match all six regular numbers drawn; the order in which they are drawn is irrelevant. Functionally, these games are similar to five-number games, except, because of the need to match a sixth number, the top-prize odds are longer. Therefore, six-number games generally offer a higher top prize.
A straight six-number game is different from "two-drum" games such as Powerball, Cash4Life, Lucky for Life, and Mega Millions. While these games also draw six numbers, five are from one set, while a sixth is drawn from a second pool. These "5+1" games also require all six numbers to be matched for the top prize, but the use of a separate field for the last number lengthens the odds considerably.
In a variant of the six-number game, such as Pennsylvania's Match 6, the player receives three sets of six numbers for each play; the sales terminal automatically generates two of these sets. A player wins either by matching enough numbers in any of the three sets against those drawn, or by matching enough numbers across all three sets. The jackpot is won in the "classic" way, by matching all six numbers in one set, rather than the total matched against the 18.
Some six-number games actually draw seven numbers; the first six for the top prize, and a seventh, "bonus" number for some lower-tier prize levels. These "bonus" numbers are drawn from the remaining numbers in the same drum, rather than from a second set of numbers.
Some six-number games have a top prize(jackpot or otherwise) that always is paid as a lump sum, whereas other six-number games have an annuity top prize; generally, all six-number games with an annuitized top prize have a cash option.
Six-number games historically are the most popular kind of lottery in the U.S., although "5+1" games have grown in popularity, especially with the rise of multi-state games. The Canadian Lotto 6/49 is one of its two national lottery games. Typically, six-number games cost $1 per play. and most are drawn twice weekly, often Wednesdays and Saturdays.
List
Most lotteries offer a six-number game(using one drum.) Some are listed below, with number fields and drawing frequency:
Lotto 6/49 is one of three national lottery games in Canada. Launched on June 12, 1982, Lotto 6/49 was the first nationwide Canadian lottery game to allow players to choose their own numbers. Previous national games, such as the Olympic Lottery, Loto Canada and Superloto used pre-printed numbers on tickets. Lotto 6/49 led to the gradual phase-out of that type of lottery game in Canada.
Tri-State Lottery is the terminal-generated game series offered by the Maine, New Hampshire, and/or Vermont lotteries. It was the first multi-jurisdictional lottery. Its first multi-state game came in September 1985. The compact includes five games: Megabucks ; Pick 3 and Pick 4, Gimme 5, and Fast Play ; the latter are games that differ among the three states.
Lotteries in Australia include various lottery related products licensed by The Lottery Corporation, The Lottery Office and Lotterywest Australian lottery companies. Lotteries operators are licensed at a state or territory level, and include both state government-owned, not-for-profit and private sector companies. Most major Lotteries have now moved into the online marketplace.
The PCSO Lottery Draw is the television program that broadcasts the drawing of the nationally-franchised Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) lotto games in the Philippines. It has been aired daily on the People's Television Network (PTV) since March 8, 1995, involving the PCSO workforce consisting of more than 2,000 employees. The program consists of the drawing of both the parimutuel and fixed payout lottery games and the sweepstakes games. In November 15, 2017, it added the centralized draws of the Small Town Lottery for the provinces that did not conduct their own local STL draws.
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 West Virginia Lottery is run by the government of West Virginia. It was established in 1984 via a voter referendum. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). The Lottery offers games such as Lotto America, Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch tickets. West Virginia has reinterpreted the amendment to its Constitution that permitted its lottery to include casinos, and thus the West Virginia Lottery Commission also regulates slot machines, which are marketed as "video lottery" and available at several hundred businesses; and five "lottery table games" casinos.
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 Tennessee Lottery is run by the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (TELC), which was created on June 11, 2003, by the Tennessee General Assembly. TELC derives its legal authority from the Tennessee Education Lottery Implementation Law, which the General Assembly passed following a November 2002 amendment to the state constitution establishing the lottery and approved by 58 percent of the voters.
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 Delaware Lottery is run by the government of Delaware. Its creation was authorized by the state legislature on May 31, 1974. Its "traditional" games include Play 3, Play 4, Multi-Win Lotto, Lucky For Life, Lotto America, Mega Millions, and Powerball. Delaware also offers Keno, sports betting, and video lottery.
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 Missouri Lottery is the state-run lottery in Missouri. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). As of 2022, the lottery offers Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash4Life, Lotto, Show Me Cash, Pick 4, Pick 3, Cash Pop, Club Keno, scratchers, and pull-tabs. The minimum age to buy a ticket is 18.
The Ohio Lottery is a state lottery run by the Ohio Lottery Commission. Its games consist of scratch tickets; Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 ; Rolling Cash 5, Classic Lotto, Keno, Lucky for Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball.
The Illinois State Lottery is an American lottery for the U.S. state of Illinois, operated by Camelot Illinois.
The Wisconsin Lottery is run by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and was authorized in 1988 by the state legislature. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Its games consist of Mega Millions, Powerball, Megabucks, Supercash!, Badger 5, Pick 3, Pick 4, All or Nothing, and scratch games. Since its founding, it has generated $4.6 billion for property tax relief for state residents.
The Colorado Lottery is run by the state government of Colorado. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association(MUSL).
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery established in 1994 in the United Kingdom. It is regulated by the Gambling Commission, and is currently operated by Allwyn Entertainment Ltd, who took over from Camelot Group on 1 February 2024.
The Massachusetts Lottery was established on September 27, 1971, following the legalization of gambling by the Massachusetts General Court, the legislature of the Commonwealth. The Lottery is administered by the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. It is a member of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL) since 1972.
The Vermont Lottery began fiscal operations as an enterprise fund in October 1977, following a 1976 referendum, and the enactment of Public Act No. 82 by the 1977 General Assembly. It is run by the Vermont Lottery Commission, which is headquartered in Berlin. Along with Maine and New Hampshire, Vermont is a member of the Tri-State Lottery.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
