The Ohio Lottery is run by the Ohio Lottery Commission. Its games include Pick 3 and Pick 4 ("numbers games"), Rolling Cash 5, Ten-OH!, Keno, Classic Lotto, Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch tickets. The marketing slogan is "Take a chance on education. Odds are, you'll have fun!" In 1973, the creation of the Ohio Lottery Commission was approved by voters. The Lottery itself began in August 1974. Its first online game, The Numbers (known as "Pick 3" today), began in 1979.
The Lottery's director is Kathleen Burke; previous directors include Mike Dolan and Tom Hayes.
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On December 3, 1979, The Numbers became the first Ohio online game where players could choose their number(s). On August 16, 1999, Pick 3 expanded to twice-daily draws. Sunday drawings were added on May 20, 2007; the game currently is drawn 14 times weekly.
On April 9, 1981, Pick 4 was added; it began as a once-a-week game, gradually expanding to 14 draws weekly in conjunction with Pick 3.
Keno is played at Ohio Lottery retailers that have a monitor. Keno is limited to retailers who have a liquor license allowing for consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises, thus making it available mostly in restaurants and bars. Drawings are four minutes apart. Minimum play is $1.
Ohio added a twice-daily game on August 5, 2007, called Ten-OH!, which is a Keno-like game; the first Ohio Lottery game in which the drawings are computerized.[1] Ten-OH does not televise its twice-daily drawings. The top prize of $500,000 is won by matching 10 of the 20 numbers drawn.
On October 4, 2004, Rolling Cash 5 replaced Buckeye 5. The 5-of-5 prize in Buckeye 5 was changed to a jackpot that begins at $100,000. Since May 20, 2007, Rolling Cash 5 has been drawn nightly. The game draws from a 39-ball pool.
On January 22, 2007, Classic Lotto 6/49 began, replacing Lot 'O Play; it is drawn Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Jackpots begin at $1 million; games cost $1 each. Unlike Mega Millions and Powerball (see below), each using a "floating percentage" of the annuity for their cash options, the Ohio-only game fixes the cash value ratio (currently 50 percent) of the annuity.
On September 6, 1996, six lotteries began a jackpot game then known as The Big Game. On May 15, 2002, the multi-jurisdictional game, which temporarily became The Big Game Mega Millions, was added to the Ohio Lottery; its first drawing including Ohio tickets was two days later. The Kicker (see below) was "transferred" to Mega Millions in 2005. Mega Millions' jackpots begin at $12 million.
The Kicker was retired in mid-January 2011; the Megaplier, a multiplier nearly identical to Powerball's Power Play, is now available to Ohio players for an extra $1 per play.
Powerball began in 1992. On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in US lottery jurisdictions. Both games added members on January 31, 2010; although Ohio, already with Mega Millions, did not add Powerball until April 16, 2010. The first Powerball drawing including Ohio was the following night.
A ticket bought in Ohio for the June 2, 2010, Powerball drawing became its first potential Powerball jackpot winner; it is the first time a lottery selling either Mega Millions or Powerball (but not both) on January 31, 2010 sold a jackpot-winning ticket for its newer game after the cross-selling expansion date. The ticket is worth $261.6 million (annuity).
On April 9, 1983, Ohio Lotto 6/40 was added; it was drawn Saturdays. Jackpots began at $250,000. On November 19, 1983, the starting jackpot was increased to $1 million. On October 3, 1984, Wednesday drawings were added; after February 12, 1986, the game returned to Saturdays only. Its final drawing was on April 18, 1987.
On February 19, 1986, Super Lotto 6/44 was added and was drawn Wednesdays; it replaced the 6/40 Wednesday drawings. On April 25, 1987, the 6/44 added Saturdays, replacing the 6/40 altogether. Players of the 6/44 paid $1 per game; its jackpots began at $5 million. The base jackpot was reduced to $3 million when twice-a-week draws resumed. On April 30, 1988, The Kicker (see above) began as an add-on, initially to the 6/44. On October 6, 1990, the 6/44 was changed to a 6/53 matrix (with two plays for $1), with the jackpot again starting at $5 million. Months later, the 6/53 was retired; in its place was the 6/47 (one play for $1), with the jackpots now starting at $4 million. The final 6/47 drawing was July 8, 2000.
On May 5, 1992, Buckeye 5 was added; it was originally drawn on Tuesday and Friday nights. Buckeye 5's top prize was $100,000. On July 1, 1993, Buckeye 5 was expanded to Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; on April 1, 2002, Buckeye 5 became a Monday-through-Saturday game. Buckeye 5's last drawing was on October 2, 2004; it was replaced with Rolling Cash 5.
On July 15, 2000, SLP was introduced, replacing the 6/47. SLP was a 6/49 game that also drew a "bonus ball." The Kicker became an add-on to SLP. The jackpots again began at $4 million. SLP's last drawing was October 8, 2005, with The Kicker becoming Mega Millions' add-on game.
On October 12, 2005, Lot 'O Play held its first drawing. It was a 5/100 bingo-style game with base jackpots of $1 million. Lot O'Play's last drawing was on January 20, 2007, after which it was replaced by Classic Lotto.
On April 30, 1988, The Kicker began; initially, it was an add-on game to Super Lotto; its six-digit number was printed on all Super Lotto tickets regardless of whether The Kicker was activated. Super Lotto 's final drawing was on July 8, 2000. The Kicker was transferred to Super Lotto Plus through the final SLP drawing on October 8, 2005. It was then transferred to Mega Millions for the remainder of its life. The Kicker drew six digits 0 through 9; if all digits match exactly, the player wins $100,000. Smaller prizes are available. The Kicker was retired after the January 14, 2011 Mega Millions drawing; it was the only add-on game of its kind in the US to last as long as it did - Michigan offered the "Zinger" game, a game identical to Kicker in prize structure and payout, in the late 1980's. The Megaplier, technically not an add-on game, is now available to Mega Millions players in Ohio.[1]
The Cash Explosion Double Play game show returned in October 2007, replacing Make Me Famous, Make Me Rich (which itself had replaced Cash Explosion Double Play a year earlier).
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