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. [1] The minimum age to buy a ticket is 18.
The lottery was approved by voters in 1984 with 70% of the vote; the first sales beginning in 1986. Over $7 billion has been earned from the lottery for education. [2]
The Lottery began selling tickets January 20, 1986. An executive director oversees the organization and reports to a five-member commission that is appointed by the governor. Retired Highway Patrol Captain Lester Elder was hired as the director of the Missouri Lottery in November 2022. [3]
In the beginning, Lottery proceeds were directed to Missouri's General Revenue fund. In 1992, voters approved Amendment 11, which earmarked proceeds for public education. All monies since July 1993 have gone to education programs. Proceeds are appropriated by the Legislature.
The Lottery offers Scratchers tickets, plus the online games Missouri Lotto, Club Keno, Pick 3, Pick 4, Show Me Cash, and Powerball. Powerball's former rival, Mega Millions, came to Missouri on January 31, 2010. The $250,000 Scratcher card generated much publicity when unemployed couple Robert Russell and Tracie Rogers won the jackpot in July 2010. [4]
The Lottery's mission: "The Missouri Lottery generates funds to provide educational opportunities for Missouri students, support Missouri businesses and entertain millions." [5]
The minimum age to purchase a Missouri Lottery ticket is 18. [6]
Club Keno has drawings every four minutes. Traditionally sold in age-controlled environments (often where alcoholic beverages are served), the game is now available at any Missouri Lottery retailer as Keno To Go. Options and prizes vary.
Scratch cards are the Lottery's most popular games, sold in a large variety of locations from gas stations to sports venues via vending machines. Card prices range from $1 to $50, with the more expensive games having better odds of winning as well as larger prizes. Themed scratchers are common (such as for holidays, promotional tie-ins with St. Louis and Kansas City sports teams, or licensed pop-culture properties) and players are occasionally encouraged to enter specific losing tickets into "second chance" drawings for additional prizes.
These two games are drawn twice daily, every day of the week. Pick 3 draws a 3 digit number and Pick 4 draws a 4 digit number. Prices, options and payouts vary depending on the game type and price of the game.
On April 16th, 2023, the Missouri State Lottery announced that it would add this feature to its Pick 3 and Pick 4 games, replacing the play type “1off” that it offered until the day before the wild ball feature was introduced. Adding wild ball to a game would allow players to create more unique combinations for their game and win a wild ball prize. The wild ball number is used to replace the numbers drawn by the lottery. Players can also win multiple wild ball prizes on the same play depending on the unique numbers played. Adding wild ball doubles the cost of each game and can be done with any play type that a player chooses. There will be a separate wild ball number drawn for pick 3 and pick 4 with every draw.
Show Me Cash (previously called as Show Me 5) is played daily, drawing five numbers from 1 through 39. Games cost $1 each. Jackpots begin at $50,000, increasing by at least $5,000 until there is a game matching all five numbers.
Missouri Lotto is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. Six numbers from 1 through 44 are chosen. Players get two games for each $1 wager (games must be played in multiples of two.) The progressive jackpot begins at $1,000,000 (annuitized with a cash option) and rolls over in multiples of $100,000 until either game set matches all six of the winning numbers drawn; players win cash by matching at least four of the six numbers in any game. A free ticket with 2 sets of numbers qualifying for the next Lotto draw is won by matching three numbers. The game's 6 of 6, 5 of 6 and 4 of 6 prizes are paid on a pari-mutual basis.
Starting on November 4th, 2012, the game’s “Doubler” feature was introduced. Some lotto tickets will have the words “This is a Lotto Doubler Ticket” printed on them. If players see those words printed on their lotto tickets, all non jackpot prizes are doubled, and best of all, it’s offered free of charge.
In 2014, New Jersey and New York launched Cash4Life. Initially drawn Mondays and Thursdays, Cash4Life has been drawn seven nights a week beginning July 1, 2019.
On April 11, 2021, Cash4Life become available in Missouri, becoming the game's 10th member. Three days earlier, Missouri ended sales of the rival game Lucky for Life which remains available in 24 states and the District of Columbia. [7] Games are $2 each.
On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium (then with 12 lotteries) and MUSL (with 33) reached an agreement to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball. Missouri joined Mega Millions on January 31, 2010, the cross-sell expansion date.
Mega Millions is drawn Tuesdays and Fridays. Players choose five white balls numbered 1 through 70, and a gold-colored "Mega Ball" numbered 1 through 25. Games are $1 each, or $2 if the Megaplier is chosen. Jackpots begin at $20 million, payable in 30 graduated yearly installments unless the cash option is chosen.
Powerball began in 1992. Its jackpots begin at $20 million, with drawings on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights.
From 1996 to 2002, the Lottery aired a television game show called Fun & Fortune, hosted by Rick Tamblyn (nationally known Geoff Edwards hosted the pilot).
Lucky for Life began in Connecticut in 2009 as Lucky-4-Life. It grew by 2015 to include Missouri, and by 2018 it became available in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Missouri, on April 8, 2021, became the first Lucky for Life member to end sales, switching to Cash4Life three days later.
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.
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 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 New Hampshire Lottery was established in 1964, making it the third-oldest lottery in the United States, and the oldest in the contiguous United States. New Hampshire's lottery games include Lucky for Life, Mega Millions, Powerball, Tri-State Megabucks Plus, and numerous scratch tickets. All New Hampshire Lottery games require players to be at least 18 years old.
The Idaho Lottery began play on July 19, 1989, and is run by the government of the state of Idaho. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Fifty percent of all net funds is given to public schools, while the remainder is pledged to the Permanent Building Fund, which is used as a financial resource for the state's colleges and universities.
The South Dakota Lottery is run by the government of South Dakota. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). The Lottery is headquartered in Pierre; it is a self-funded endeavor. The minimum age to buy tickets is 18; however, video lottery players must be at least 21.
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 in accordance with a November 2002 amendment to the state constitution establishing the lottery and approved by 58 percent of the voters.
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 Michigan Lottery offers numerous on-line and scratch-off games, giving players a wide variety of prize possibilities. Initiated under the authority of Public Act 239 in 1972, the games collect funds to support Michigan’s public school system.
The Nebraska Lottery is run by the government of Nebraska. It was established by the state legislature in 1993. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Its games include Mega Millions, Powerball, 2by2, Nebraska Pick 5, Pick 3, and MyDaY. The minimum age to purchase Nebraska Lottery tickets is 19. Elsewhere in the United States, the minimum age to buy lottery tickets is either 18 or 21.
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 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. Rhode Island also offers video lottery, which includes the multi-jurisdictional MegaHits game.
The Colorado Lottery is run by the state government of Colorado. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association(MUSL).
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.
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