Rhode Island Lottery

The Rhode Island Lottery (a.k.a. The Lot) is run by the government of Rhode Island. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Rhode Island Lottery games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Wild Money, keno, and numerous scratch tickets. Rhode Island also offers video lottery, which includes the multi-jurisdictional MegaHits game.

The minimum age to play the Rhode Island Lottery is 18.

Rhode Island-only games

The Numbers Game

The Numbers Game began in 1976; it is the first Rhode Island Lottery game where players could select their own numbers. Every night, 4 sets of balls numbered 0 through 9 are drawn. Prices, prizes, and options vary.

Wild Money

Wild Money is played Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. It draws 5 balls numbered 1 through 35, with one "Extra Ball" drawn from the remaining 30. The "Extra Ball" is used to determine some of the secondary prizes; it is not used for the jackpot. The jackpot starts at $20,000. Games cost $1 each.

Keno (limited availability)

Rhode Island Keno is played at retailers equipped with a special monitor. Drawings are four minutes apart during Keno hours. Prices, prizes, and options vary.

Multi-jurisdictional games

Powerball

Rhode Island was one of the seven founding members of MUSL, which was formed in 1987. Its best-known game, Powerball, began in 1992. Games cost $2 each. A PowerPlay game costs $3. The "PowerPlay" option began in 2001.

Currently, Powerball jackpots begin at $40 million. The game is drawn Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Powerball has undergone several format changes. The first was in 1997, which introduced its cash option. On January 15, 2012, Powerball was changed again. Games now cost $2 each, or $3 with Power Play. The starting jackpot was doubled, from $20 million to $40 million. The Power Play winnings are no longer determined by a random multiplier.

Rhode Island's largest lottery prize (pending a successful claim) is $336,400,000 (annuity value) for the Saturday, February 11, 2012 drawing.

Mega Millions

On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and MUSL reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in US lottery jurisdictions. Rhode Island added Mega Millions on the cross-selling expansion date of January 31, 2010.

MegaHits

Rhode Island's two lottery-run casinos (Twin River in Lincoln, and Newport Grand in Newport) are among the nine venues that offer MegaHits, MUSL's second video lottery terminal (VLT) progressive jackpot game. (Delaware and West Virginia also offer MegaHits.) MegaHits features five jackpots; the top progressive's minimum jackpot is $100,000. The maximum wager must be made to be eligible for any of the progressives. (All MegaHits wagers feed the top progressive level; however, the four lower jackpots available to Rhode Island players are fed entirely by MegaHits wagers within Rhode Island.)

Former games

Lot-O-Bucks

Lot-O-Bucks was the Rhode Island Lottery's first terminal-based jackpot game. It ended in 1995. Lot-O-Bucks used several different number matrixes, most recently a pick-5-of-40.

Cashola

The first MUSL video lottery progressive, Cashola, began in July 2006; it ended when its 37th jackpot was won, on May 15, 2011. Cashola's jackpot was its only progressive level.

External links

• Rhode Island Lottery website