Happy 33rd birthday, ®! Today marks 33 years since the first drawing was held on April 22, 1992.
Over the years, has grown with additional lotteries, more players and record jackpots – but its underlining mission of helping U.S. lotteries raise funds for good causes has remained constant. More than half of all proceeds from a $2 ticket remain in the jurisdiction where the ticket was sold; a portion of which goes to fund public programs and services. To date, an estimated $36 billion has been generated from ticket sales nationwide for good causes.
“’s impact can be found everywhere the game is sold,” said Matt Strawn, Iowa Lottery CEO and Product Group Chair. “ proceeds are improving the communities where our players live and work – whether its support for veterans in Iowa, college scholarships in Tennessee, new trails and parks in Colorado, or low-cost prescription assistance for seniors in Pennsylvania.”
Other birthday highlights include:
- 414 jackpot-winning tickets
- $31.7 billion jackpot prizes awarded
- 2.08 billion lower tier winning tickets
- $26.7 billion lower tier prizes awarded
The first drawing in 1992 had 15 participating lotteries: Delaware, District of Columbia, Iowa, Idaho, Hoosier (Indiana), Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Today, all 48 U.S. lotteries offer the game.
became the first national draw game to reach a $1 billion jackpot on Jan. 13, 2016, when three tickets split a $1.586 billion jackpot. The game holds the current world record for largest national lottery jackpot at $2.04 billion, which was won by a single ticket in California on Nov. 7, 2022.
For the next drawing tomorrow night, the jackpot is an estimated $151 million. The jackpot has an estimated cash value of $69.3 million.
tickets are $2 per play. drawings are broadcast live every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET from the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. drawings are also livestreamed on .com. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9. For more information about , click here.
Photo caption: Mike Pace hosted the draw show from 1992-2008. He’s pictured on the draw show set in 2005, which included a Power Play® multiplier wheel.