New Hampshire Lottery

Begun in 1964, the New Hampshire Lottery (originally known as the New Hampshire Sweepstakes) is the oldest US mainland-based lottery.^[1] (The Puerto Rico Lottery has been in operation since 1934.) New Hampshire's games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Hot Lotto, and numerous scratch tickets.

New Hampshire is part of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), which it joined in 1995.^[2] It is also a member of the Tri-State Lottery in northern New England; its games are always drawn in New Hampshire.

All New Hampshire Lottery games require players to be at least 18 years old.

Current draw games

Pick 3 and Pick 4

Pick 3 and Pick 4 are played twice daily, seven days a week, in the style of numbers games. Prices, prizes, and options vary. These two games are always drawn in New Hampshire.

Weekly Grand

Weekly Grand also is drawn in New Hampshire. It uses a 4+1 matrix (Mega Millions, Hot Lotto, and Powerball each use a 5+1 matrix). Players choose from two sets of numbers; 4 out of 35 in the "white pool", and 1 out of 35 in the "Lucky Ball" pool. Matching all five numbers wins $1000-a-week for 20 years; winners can choose cash instead. Every wager is eligible for a $5 prize which can be redeemed immediately if won. Weekly Grand features fixed payouts (e.g. matching four white ball numbers wins $5,000; three white balls and the Lucky Ball $500) except for the top prize, which is parimutuel. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays.

Megabucks Plus

Megabucks Plus, like the three games above, is drawn in New Hampshire. It replaced the original Megabucks on July 26, 2009. Megabucks Plus also uses a 5+1 matrix. It draws 5 of 41 balls, plus one Megaball from a separate set of balls numbered 1 through 6. Tickets are $2 per play. The jackpot starts at $1 million and increases if there is no grand prize winner.

Hot Lotto

Hot Lotto is played in 15 lotteries including New Hampshire's; it is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. Hot Lotto draws 5 white numbers from 1 through 39, and 1 orange "Hot Ball" from 1 through 19. The jackpots begin at $1 million and increase by at least $50,000 if there is no top prize winner. Hot Lotto also has an option called Sizzler (which is similar to Powerball's PowerPlay) which costs an additional $1 per play. Unlike PowerPlay, the Sizzler multiplier is always 3x.

Powerball

Since 1995, the New Hampshire Lottery has been a member of MUSL, which is best known for Powerball. (The game began in 1992.)

The Powerball jackpot begins at $20 million; the game is drawn Wednesday and Saturday nights. Powerball always has had a price point of $1. The Power Play option (which began in 2001), if selected, doubles the price of a game; the Power Play multiplier is randomly selected.

Effective January 15, 2012, Powerball's minimum jackpot will double, to $40 million. A game will cost $2; with Power Play, $3. The second prize will increase from $200,000 to $1 million; a second prize where Power Play is selected will increase from $1 million to $2 million (all non-jackpot Powerball prizes are paid in cash.) The Power Play option's multiplier will be replaced by fixed prizes.

Mega Millions

On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and MUSL reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in U.S. lottery jurisdictions. Ticket sales for Mega Millions within New Hampshire began on January 31, 2010.

References

1. ^ ""N.H. Lottery history"". New Hampshire Lottery Commission. http://www.nhlottery.org/AboutUs/History.aspx. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
2. ^ ""MUSL member list"". Multi-State Lottery Association. http://www.musl.com/musl_members.html. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 

External links

• New Hampshire Lottery
• MUSL Official Site