The Montana Lottery is run by the government of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

. It is a member of the

Multi-State Lottery Association The Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) is an American non-profit, government-benefit association owned and operated by agreement of its 34 member lotteries. MUSL was created to facilitate the operation of multi-jurisdictional lottery games, ...

(MUSL). The Montana Lottery's portfolio consists of scratch tickets, plus

Mega Millions Mega Millions (originally known as ''The Big Game'' in 1996 and renamed, temporarily, to ''The Big Game Mega Millions'' six years later) is an American multi-jurisdictional lottery game; as of January 30, 2020, it is offered in 45 states, the D ...

Powerball Powerball is an American lottery game offered by 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). From its inaugural drawing on April 19, 1992, unti ...

Lotto America Lotto America is an American multi-state lottery game that began in 2017. It is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). It takes its name from the original Lotto America, offered from 1988 to 1992. Lotto America was re-launched b ...

, Montana Millionaire, Lucky for Life, Big Sky Bonus, Montana Sports Action, Treasure Play and Montana Cash. The Montana Lottery was created by referendum in 1986. It passed by a wide margin and the Montana Lottery opened for business in June 1987. Since then, it has paid out at least $590 million to players in prizes, and has generated over $259 million for the State of Montana. In Montana, the minimum age to purchase a lottery ticket is 18.

History

The Montana Lottery was created by citizen referendum and passed on November 4, 1986 by 68.97% of voters. 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." 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 was legal in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

prior to the Supreme Court ruling the Professional & Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional in May 2018, opening the door for other states to legalize sports betting.)

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.

Big Sky Bonus

Big Sky Bonus draws daily at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time. Tickets may be purchased up to two minutes before the drawing. Players can choose to play up to seven consecutive drawings.

Lotto America

Lotto America draws on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:59 p.m. mountain time. The jackpot starts at a guaranteed $2 million and grows each time the jackpot is not won. For an additional $1 per play, All Star Bonus provides the opportunity to multiply any Lotto America prize you win (excluding the jackpot) up to five times.

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

in May 2002. Its jackpots begin at $20 million (annuitized with cash option.) Mega Millions draws 5 white balls numbered 1 through 70, and 1 gold-colored ''Mega Ball'' numbered 1 through 25. 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 Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday nights.

draws 5 white balls from 1 to 69 and 1 red Powerball from 1 to 26.

also has an optional multiplier, ''PowerPlay'', which multiplies a non-jackpot prize by 2x to 5x.

References

External links

Montana Lottery web siteMontana Sports Action
{{authority control State lotteries of the United States Economy of Montana State agencies of Montana 1986 establishments in Montana