CLEVELAND (August 12, 2024) – Today the Ohio Lottery celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first day of Lottery sales in Ohio.
The first Ohio Lottery game, Buckeye 300, went on sale on August 12, 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 year began with the introduction of the 50th Anniversary scratch-off. The game has a top prize of $15,000,000.
In addition, the Lottery will commemorate its golden anniversary with an exclusive VIP event at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on September 7, 2024. One hundred fifty Ohio Lottery winners have been selected to attend the private event where they will be treated to food, music, ticket giveaways, priceless activities, and more – plus 5 lucky winners will share in $400,000 in prizes.
ABOUT THE OHIO LOTTERY:
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.
The Ohio Lottery has contributed more than $32 billion to education since 1974. For more information about the Ohio Lottery and its contribution to education, visit www.ohiolottery.com/supportingeducation.