Rhode Island Lottery
Encyclopedia
The Rhode Island Lottery is run by the government of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association
Multi-State Lottery Association
The Multi-State Lottery Association is a non-profit, government-benefit association owned and operated by agreement of its 33 member lotteries MUSL was created to facilitate the operation of multi-jurisdictional lottery games, including Powerball, Mega Millions), video lottery, and instant ...

 (MUSL). Rhode Island Lottery games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Wild Money, keno, and numerous scratch tickets
Scratchcard
A scratchcard is a small card, often made of thin paper-based card for competitions and plastic to conceal PINs, where one or more areas contain concealed information which can...

. Rhode Island also offers video lottery, which includes the multi-jurisdictional MegaHits game.

The minimum age to play the Rhode Island Lottery is 18.

The Numbers Game

The Numbers Game began in 1976; it is the first Rhode Island Lottery game where players could select their own numbers. Every night, 4 sets of balls numbered 0 through 9 are drawn. Prices, prizes, and options vary.

Wild Money

Wild Money is played Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. It draws 5 balls numbered 1 through 35, with one "Extra Ball" drawn from the remaining 30. The "Extra Ball" is used to determine some of the secondary prizes; it is not used for the jackpot. The jackpot starts at $20,000. Games cost $1 each.

Keno (limited availability)

Rhode Island Keno is played at retailers equipped with a special monitor. Drawings are four minutes apart during Keno hours. Prices, prizes, and options vary.

Powerball

Rhode Island was one of seven founding members of MUSL, which was formed in 1987. Its best-known game, Powerball
Powerball
Powerball is an American lottery game sold in 44 jurisdictions as a shared jackpot game. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association , a non-profit organization formed by an agreement with lotteries. Powerball is a game whose advertised jackpot starts at $20 million and can roll into...

, began in 1992; games cost $1 each. A Power Play game costs $2; the option began in 2001.

Currently, Powerball jackpots begin at $20 million. The game is drawn Wednesday and Saturday nights.

Powerball has undergone several format changes; the first was in 1997, which introduced its cash option
Present value
Present value, also known as present discounted value, is the value on a given date of a future payment or series of future payments, discounted to reflect the time value of money and other factors such as investment risk...

. In January 2012, Powerball will be changed again; games will cost $2 each, or $3 with Power Play. The starting jackpot will be doubled, to $40 million. The Power Play winnings no longer will be determined by a random multiplier.

Mega Millions

On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions
Mega Millions
Mega Millions is a US multi-jurisdictional $1 lottery game. Since it replaced The Big Game in May 2002 , Mega Millions' advertised jackpots have started at $12 million, paid in 26 yearly installments , increasing when there is no jackpot winner...

 consortium and MUSL reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in US lottery jurisdictions. Rhode Island added Mega Millions on the cross-selling expansion date of January 31, 2010.

MegaHits

Rhode Island's two lottery-run casinos (Twin River in Lincoln
Lincoln, Rhode Island
Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 21,105 at the 2010 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence....

, and Newport Grand in Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

) are among the nine venues that offer MegaHits
MegaHits
MegaHits is a video lottery terminal multiple-progressive jackpot game that began on July 15, 2011. MegaHits replaced Cashola, which was offered from July 2006 to May 15, 2011. Cashola was offered at lottery-run casinos in Delaware, Rhode Island, and West Virginia; the same three lotteries take...

, MUSL's second video lottery terminal (VLT) progressive jackpot
Progressive jackpot
A progressive jackpot is a jackpot for a gaming machine where the value of the jackpot increases a small amount for every game played...

 game. (Delaware
Delaware Lottery
The Delaware Lottery is run by the government of Delaware. Unlike most US lotteries, Delaware offers video lottery; its other games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Cash 5, Play 3, and Play 4....

 and West Virginia
West Virginia Lottery
The West Virginia Lottery is run by the government of West Virginia. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association . It offers games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch tickets...

 also offer MegaHits.) MegaHits features five jackpots; the top progressive's minimum jackpot is $100,000. The maximum wager must be made to be eligible for any of the progressives. (All MegaHits wagers feed the top progressive level; however, the four lower jackpots available to Rhode Island players are fed entirely by MegaHits wagers within Rhode Island.)

Lot-O-Bucks

Lot-O-Bucks was the Rhode Island Lottery's first terminal-based jackpot game. It ended in 1995. Lot-O-Bucks used several different number matrixes, most recently a pick-5-of-40.

Cashola

The first MUSL video lottery progressive, Cashola
Cashola
Ca$hola, a video lottery game, is a former Multi-State Lottery Association game. Ca$hola was, to date, the only US multi-jurisdictional video lottery game. It began in July 2006; Ca$hola ended upon its final jackpot win on May 15, 2011...

, began in July 2006; it ended when its 37th jackpot was won, on May 15, 2011. Cashola's jackpot was its only progressive level.
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