Last week, the Ohio Lottery celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Back on Aug. 12, 1974, the first Ohio Lottery game hit the market. “Buckeye 300” cost 50 cents for a shot at $300,000.
Fifty years later, the state is approaching $100 billion in all-time lottery sales.
Through lottery draw games, scratch-offs, EZ Play, and more, it’s been an eventful 50 years.
What will the Ohio Lottery have in store for this historic year, and what’s ahead that could shape the next 50 years?
Over $31 billion provided to Ohio education
Throughout its 50 years of operation, the Ohio Lottery has some impressive numbers:
- $96.4 billion in sales
- $57.7 billion in prizes
- $31.5 billion to the Lottery Profits Education Fund
- $6.1 billion in retail commission
The funding for education was a high note for Ohio Lottery Director Michelle Gillcrist, as she noted in a press release:
“The Ohio Lottery has proven to be a leader in the lottery industry on many fronts for the last 50 years, but the mission to generate funding in support of education is what I’m most proud of, and we will continue to work for that mission for the next 50 years.”
50th Anniversary ticket, second-chance promotion in Ohio
This anniversary year is being commemorated with a year of celebration through the Ohio Lottery.
It began with the launch of a 50th Anniversary scratch game. It’s a $50 ticket with two top prizes of $15 million.
The Ohio Lottery is also holding a “Fun Turns 50 Second Chance Promotion.” During the promo, lucky winners can get their share of $1 million in giveaways.
Players enter their non-winning 50th Anniversary tickets or any combination of $5 and $10 scratchers that altogether total $50 through the MyLotto Rewards program.
On Sept. 7, a special 50th Anniversary event will be held at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
There will be three drawings, with 50 winners receiving $3,500 and an invitation to the Sept. 7 event. Another 50 winners will each get $500. At the Hall of Fame event, five lucky winners will earn up to $400,000 in prizes.
Ohio Lottery sets records in 50th year
The fiscal year 2024 just wrapped up, the 50th for the Ohio Lottery.
Traditional lottery sales set an all-time record of $4.54 billion, up 1.8% from FY23’s previous record.
The state also had a new best for yearly scratch sales at $2.38 billion, as well as a draw games record of $2.16 billion in sales.
Those totals led to a $1.51 billion contribution to the Lottery Profits Education Fund, another record for Ohio.
On top of all that, the state’s video lottery terminals performed at a high rate. The VLTs did $1.37 billion in purchases, leading to another $458.1 million in revenue.
Legislators making pitch for iLottery expansion
Ohio could be making a big addition to its lottery in the upcoming years.
Members of the General Assembly made a recommendation last month to bring an online lottery to the state.
A detailed report gave legislators information as to why Ohio should join the states with online lotteries.
Among the key points in the report was that iLottery has proven to not cannibalize retail lottery in other states.
An online lottery isn’t a new idea in Ohio. Sen. Nathan Manning introduced a Senate bill in 2022 proposing the idea. However, it didn’t have the legs to get past the House.
This report could lead to proposed legislation on the matter in the near future.
Without legalized iLottery, the state has turned to courier services. Currently, four different couriers offer online sales of retail Ohio lottery draw games, including Jackpocket, Jackpot.com, Lotto.com, and Mido Lotto.
Photo by GUGAI via Shutterstock
Graphic from the Ohio Lottery
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