CLEVELAND (April 12, 2024) – The Ohio Lottery is celebrating 50 years of fun games, big winners, and billions of dollars to education!
The first Ohio Lottery game, Buckeye 300, went on sale in 1974. Tickets cost $.50 each for a chance to win $300,000. Since then, the Ohio Lottery has introduced hundreds of scratch-offs, in-state and multi-state draw games, KENO, and EZPLAY Games.
Since 1974, the Ohio Lottery has generated $96.4 billion in sales and awarded $57.7 billion in prizes to Ohio Lottery winners. Retailers have also benefitted from Lottery sales with retailer commissions, incentives and bonuses eclipsing $6.1 billion. The Lottery’s mission to generate funding for K-12 education has generated $31.5 billion for the Lottery Profits Education Fund.
“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,” Ohio Lottery Director Michelle Gillcrist said.
The Ohio Lottery’s 50th Anniversary will be marked by a year of celebration for the Lottery and players starting with the launch of the 50th Anniversary scratch-off, available now. The game has a top prize of $15,000,000.
In addition, the Lottery will commemorate its golden anniversary by giving away $1,000,000 with the Fun Turns 50 Second Chance Promotion. Players can enter non-winning 50th Anniversary scratch-offs or any combination of $5 and $10 scratch-offs totaling $50 through MyLotto Rewards® for a chance to be part of our exclusive 50th anniversary event at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on September 7, 2024.
In each of the three drawings, 50 lucky winners will receive $3,500 and an invitation to our exclusive 50th anniversary event with all expenses paid for the winner and a guest. Another 50 winners will each win $500. Rock Hall attendees will be treated to food, music ticket giveaways, priceless activities, and more – plus 5 lucky winners will share in $400,000 in prizes.
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If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966. You can find additional responsible gambling resources here.