D.C. Lottery
The D.C. Lottery (official name District of Columbia Lottery & Charitable Games Control Board) is run by the Government of the District of Columbia, in the United States. The D.C. Lottery is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Games offered include Hot Lotto, Powerball, DC Daily 6, DC-5, DC-4, Keno, Mega Millions, and numerous scratch tickets.
 Logo used until 2013 | |
| Formation | August 2, 1982 |
|---|---|
| Type | Lottery System |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Website | www |
The D.C. Lottery began in 1982. In its history, it has given over $1.5 billion to the District of Columbia to help with education, public safety, child services, and other causes.[1]
All D.C. Lottery games have a minimum age of 18.
In 2009, the Board proceeds were: 52.19% for prizes; 28.03% to DC's General Funds; 8.55% for contracts or other costs; 6.24% agents' commissions; and 4.99% administrative costs.[2]
Charitable games
The Board licenses games of chance that are conducted by D.C.-based non-profit organizations. D.C., Virginia, and Maryland-based charities can offer raffles, with the provision that these drawings are held in the District of Columbia. Organizations seeking to conduct such fundraisers must obtain a license from the Board, with DC Lottery employees supervising the drawings to assure fairness.[3]
Current draw games
In-house draw games
DC 3
DC 3 is a Pick 3 game drawn twice daily.
DC-4
DC-4 also is drawn twice daily.
DC-5
DC-5 is a game drawn twice daily in the style of DC 3 and DC 4, with straight and box wagers. It is played in the same manner as Pennsylvania's Pick 5.
DC Daily 6
DC Daily 6 is drawn once daily. It draws from 39 numbers; a bonus number is drawn from the remaining 33. The Bonus Ball does not apply to the top prize, which is $250,000. Each game is two plays for $1. The cutoff for sales is 7:45 pm daily; these tickets cannot be canceled.[4]
Race 2 Riches
Race 2 Riches (previously known as "D.C. Keno") drawings are every four minutes, from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The top prize is $100,000, for matching 10 of the 20 numbers drawn. This game can be played at DC Lottery retailers that have a special monitor.
Multi-state games
Hot Lotto
As of December 24, 2016, Hot Lotto is no longer offered in the District of Columbia.[5]
Lucky for Life
Lucky for Life began in Connecticut in 2009; it expanded in 2015 to include the District of Columbia, and is now offered by 17 jurisdictions.
Mega Millions
On January 31, 2010, most U.S. lotteries with either Mega Millions or Powerball began offering both games. The D.C. Lottery added Mega Millions on the cross-selling expansion date. The largest Mega Millions jackpot was over $650,000,000.
Powerball
Since 1988, the D.C. Lottery has been a member of MUSL, which created Powerball in 1992. Its jackpots currently start at $40 million. It is drawn Wednesday and Saturday nights at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida.
On September 19, 2010, the D.C. Lottery had entered the wrong Powerball numbers into its computer system. Terminals read some losing tickets as winners, and vice versa. The Lottery revised its procedures to prevent such errors from recurring.[6]
On January 31, 2010, most lotteries with either Mega Millions or Powerball began offering both games. The D.C. Lottery added Mega Millions on that date. The largest jackpot in Mega Millions so far was more than $640 million.[7]
References
- Cooper, Rachel. "DC Lottery". Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- "DC Lottery 2009 Annual Reports". D.C. Lottery Board. p. 4. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- "How to Qualify for a License". D.C. Lottery Board. Archived from the original on 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- "How to Play DC Daily 6". Archived from the original on 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
- http://dclottery.com/pdfs/deactivation-notice.pdf
- Stabley, Matthew (September 20, 2010). "Unlucky 13: D.C. Lottery Shows Wrong Winning Number". WRC News. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
- "Three winning Mega Millions tickets sold". CBS News.