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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.^[1] It is run by the Vermont Lottery Commission, which is headquartered in Berlin.^[2] Along with Maine and New Hampshire, Vermont is a member of the Tri-State Lottery.^[3]

History

Chronology of game introductions:^[4]

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 Maine and New Hampshire 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 Maine and New Hampshire; 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.^[5]

Finances

The Lottery funded about 2% of the 2007 expenditures for education, contributing $23 million^[6] of the $1.3 billion school spending.^[7] Prior to July 1, 1998, profits from the Lottery went to the government's general fund; since then profits go to the Education Fund.^[8]

Games

Players must be 18 or older. Games include scratch tickets, Mega Millions, Tri-State Megabucks, and Powerball.^[3] Drawings times (Eastern Time Zone):^[9]

Game	Purchase Cutoff	Draw Schedule
Megabucks†	7:50 pm	Wednesday & Saturday 7:59 pm
Pick 3 & Pick 4†	1:00 & 6:45 pm	1:10 & 6:55 pm
Mega Millions††	9:50 pm	Tuesday & Friday 10:59 pm
Powerball†††	9:50 pm	Wednesday & Saturday 10:59 pm

†Tri-State games are always drawn in New Hampshire.

††Mega Millions usually is drawn in Atlanta.

†††Powerball usually is drawn in Florida; its home base was Iowa 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 began an in-house game, Lucky4Lífe, which became a regional game three years later, and became Lucky for Life. (Its drawings remain in Connecticut.) 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 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 28, 2017; its jackpot starts at $40 million, with minimum rollovers of $5 million. Players choose 5 of 70 "white ball" numbers, and a gold-colored "Mega Ball"; the latter is numbered 1 through 25. For an extra $2. 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

^ Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2005 Archived October 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Vermont Lottery Commission, p 3, retrieved March 8, 2009
^ "Where can I cash my winning Vermont Lottery ticket?", Frequently Asked Questions, Vermont Lottery, retrieved March 8, 2009
^ ^a ^b Vermont Lottery, Company Description, Hoover's, Inc., retrieved March 8, 2009
^ Mission and History, History of Lottery Games, Vermont Lottery Commission, retrieved March 8, 2009
^ Weekly Grand Archived April 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Vermont Lottery Commission, retrieved March 8, 2009
^ "Where does the money generated by the Vermont Lottery go?", Frequently Asked Questions, Vermont Lottery, retrieved March 8, 2009
^ "Lawmakers faced with thorny choices", by Louis Porter, Vermont Press Bureau, January 28, 2007, Rutland Herald, retrieved March 8, 2009
^ State Auditor: Lottery is a highly visible government activity Archived August 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine August 3, 2007 by Tom Salmon, CPA, Vermont State Auditor, Retrieved March 8, 2009
^ "Where and when are drawings held?", Frequently Asked Questions, Vermont Lottery, retrieved March 8, 2009