The Vermont Lottery began fiscal operations as an enterprise fund in October 1977, following a 1976 referendum, and the enactment of Public Act No. 82 by the 1977 General Assembly. It is run by the Vermont Lottery Commission, which is headquartered in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. Along with

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

, Vermont is a member of the Tri-State Lottery.Vermont Lottery, Company Description
Hoover's, Inc., retrieved March 8, 2009

History

Chronology of game introductions:

1978

*February: Green Mountain Game was the lottery's first game, with weekly drawings. *June: Scratch 'n Match was the Lottery's first instant game.

1980

*November 10: Pick 3 began as the Lottery's first online game; draws were nightly.

September 1985

*Vermont-only Pick 4 began, with nightly draws. **Tri-State Megabucks began; its first draw was September 14. The partnership with

and

began.

1990

*Lotto Vermont began; it was drawn Fridays.

1992-1995

*Tri-State Cash 5; drawn Tuesdays.

1995

*June 28: Pick 3 and Pick 4 became Tri-State games, joining

and

; 5 Card Cash, also shared with Maine and New Hampshire, replaced Cash 5 and Lotto Vermont.

2002

*WinCash replaced 5 Card Cash. *Cash Lotto (not to be confused with the New Hampshire-only game of that name), replaced WinCash.

2003

*June: Mid-day draws were added for Pick 3 and Pick 4. *July: The Lottery began offering Powerball. (New Hampshire had joined Powerball in 1995; Maine joined in 2004.) *November: Heads or Tails, drawn daily, replaced Cash Lotto.

2005

Triple Play, drawn Tuesdays and Fridays, replaced Heads or Tails.

2007

Paycheck replaced Triple Play.

2009

Paycheck ends.

Finances

The Lottery funded about 2% of the 2007 expenditures for education, contributing $23 million of the $1.3 billion school spending. Prior to July 1, 1998, profits from the Lottery went to the government's general fund; since then profits go to the Education Fund.

Games

Players must be 18 or older. Games include scratch tickets,

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 ...

, Tri-State Megabucks, and

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 ...

. Drawings times (Eastern Time Zone):"Where and when are drawings held?"
Frequently Asked Questions, Vermont Lottery, retrieved March 8, 2009 †Tri-State games are always drawn in

. ††Mega Millions usually is drawn in

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. †††Powerball usually is drawn in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

; its home base was

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

through 2008.

Current Draw games

In-House Tri-State Lottery Commission draw games

Pick 3 & Pick 4

Pick 3 and Pick 4 are drawn twice daily including Sundays. Prizes and options vary.

Megabucks

Megabucks Plus replaced ''Megabucks'' in July 2009; it also uses a 5+1 double matrix. The game draws 5 balls from 1 through 41, plus a megaball from 1 through 6. Games cost $2; minimum jackpot is $1,000,000. Drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays. In the late 2010s somewhere, the name of the game's switched back as Megabucks.

Gimme5

On May 12, 2013, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont began ''Gimme5'', with a top prize of $100,000 cash, to be split if there are multiple winners. Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Multi-jurisdictional draw games

Lucky for Life

In 2009, the

Connecticut Lottery The Connecticut Lottery Corporation, also called the CT Lottery, is the official lottery in Connecticut. It was created in 1971 by then-Gov. Thomas Meskill, who signed Public Act No. 865. The first tickets were sold on February 15, 1972. The Conne ...

began an in-house game, ''Lucky4Lífe'', which became a regional game three years later, and became ''Lucky for Life''. (Its drawings remain in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

.) The top prize is $1,000-per-day for life; multiple winners split the prize. On September 17, 2013, ''Lucky for Life'' was revamped; changes include a $25,000-per-year second prize. Winners of either annuitized prize level are allowed to choose

cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-im ...

in lieu of the lifetime annuity, unlike the top prize in the previous versions. In January 2015, ''Lucky for Life'' became a "quasi-national" game. Players now choose 5 of 48 white balls and a green "Lucky Ball" numbered 01 through 18. As of April 2017, the game is offered in 22 states and the District of Columbia, with three more states expected to join.

Mega Millions

In October 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and MUSL reached an agreement to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in American lotteries wishing to offer both games. The Vermont Lottery added Mega Millions on January 31, 2010, the cross-selling expansion day. The current version of Mega Millions (drawn Tuesdays and Fridays) began on October 19, 2013; its jackpot starts at $15 million, with minimum rollovers of $5 million. Players choose 5 of 75 "white ball" numbers, and a gold-colored "Mega Ball"; the latter is numbered 01 through 15. For an extra $1, a player can activate the "Megaplier" option, which multiplies non-jackpot winnings by up to 5.

Powerball

In 2003, the Vermont Lottery added Powerball, which began in 1992. Jackpots begin at $40 million; the game is drawn Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. As of April 2017, Vermont has yet to sell a jackpot-winning ticket for either Mega Millions or Powerball.

References

External links

Official website
{{U.S. lotteries Government of Vermont State lotteries of the United States