Montana Lottery

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, Hot Lotto, Wild Card 2, and Montana Cash.

The Montana Lottery was created by referendum in 1986. Since then, it has paid out at least $310 million to players in prizes.

In Montana, the minimum age to purchase a lottery ticket is 18.

History

The Montana Lottery was created by citizen referendum and passed on Nov. 4th, 1986 by 68.97% of voters.[1]

In 1995 the state legislature passed SB 83, which redirected lottery revenue earmarked for the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the General Fund as "part of a larger bill simplifying revenue allocations throughout state government."[2]

On August 31, 2008, the Montana Lottery began fantasy sports wagering, called Montana Sports Action, which is offered under the authority of MCA 23-4, a law passed by the Montana Legislature in 2007 to help the Board of Horse Racing increase purses in Montana. The Board of Horse Racing may also use the funds raised in other ways to stimulate horse racing in Montana. The law requires that 74% of the money wagered be returned to players in prize payouts. The remaining 26% is shared between the establishments offering Montana Sports Action, the Board of Horse Racing, and the Montana Lottery. (Sports betting in the US also is legal in Delaware, Nevada, and Oregon.)

Current draw games

In-house draw games

Montana Cash

Montana Cash is played Wednesdays and Saturdays. It draws 5 numbers from 1 through 45. Players get two games for $1. The jackpot starts at $40,000.

10 Spot

10 Spot is played like keno. Players choose 10 numbers; 20 are drawn by the Lottery. Matching any 10 of the 20 numbers wins $25,000.

Multi-jurisdictional games

Hot Lotto

Hot Lotto, a MUSL game, is offered in 14 states and is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. Hot Lotto draws 5 "white balls" numbered from 1 through 47 and an orange "Hot Ball", numbered 1-19. The jackpot starts at $1 million (all-cash, and "taxes paid"), increasing by at least $50,000 per rollover. The Sizzler option, similar to the add-on in Mega Millions or Powerball, costs an additional $1 per play, and triples any non-jackpot prize.

Hot Lotto will be ending in autumn 2017.

Lucky for Life

Lucky for Life is a lottery drawing game available in 23 states and the District Of Columbia. Players select 5 numbers from 1 through 48, and a green "Lucky Ball" numbered from 1 through 18. Lucky for Life, which began as a Connecticut-only game, Lucky-4-Life, has a top prize of $1,000-per-day-for-life, and a second prize of $25,000-per-year for life. ("Lifetime" winners can choose cash in lieu of the periodic payments.)

Mega Millions

On September 6, 1996, six lotteries began the-then The Big Game; it became Mega Millions in May 2002. Its jackpots begin at $15 million (annuitized with cash option.) Mega Millions draws 5 white balls numbered 1 through 75, and 1 gold-colored Mega Ball numbered 1 through 15.

Most lotteries with either Mega Millions or Powerball prior to January 31, 2010 added the other game on that date. The Montana Lottery added Mega Millions on March 1, 2010, becoming the first lottery to add the "other" game after the official cross-selling expansion about a month prior. As with all Mega Millions members (except for California), Montana offers Mega Millions' multiplier, called Megaplier; it multiplies all non-jackpot prizes by up to 5x. A second-prize wager with "Megaplier" can win $5 million cash.

Powerball

Since 1989, the Montana Lottery has been a member of MUSL. Powerball began in April 1992. Powerball's jackpots are at least $20 million. It is also drawn Wednesday and Saturday nights. Powerball draws 5 white balls from 1 to 59 and 1 red Powerball from 1 to 39. Powerball also has an optional multiplier, PowerPlay, which multiplies a non-jackpot prize by 2x to 5x.

Wild Card

Wild Card, a MUSL game, was offered by four lotteries, including Montana's. It is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. Players get two games for each $1 wagered. Each game is played in a similar fashion to Powerball; in each drawing, five numbers from 1–31 are selected. The sixth "number" is actually one of 16 playing cards, either a Jack, Queen, King, or the Ace of any of the four suits (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades).

References

  1. ↑ Lottery, Montana. Montana Lottery Website https://archive.org/stream/reportofofficial1986montrich#page/n1/mode/2up. Retrieved 22 February 2018. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ Fiscal Division, Legislative. "Legislative Fiscal Division" (PDF). Montana State Lottery: A History. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
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