Wisconsin Lottery
Encyclopedia
The Wisconsin Lottery is run by the government of Wisconsin
. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association
(MUSL). Its games consist of Mega Millions
, Powerball
, Megabucks, Supercash!, Badger 5
, Pick 3, Pick 4, and scratch games
.
The minimum age to buy Wisconsin Lottery tickets is 18.
gameboard, but with reversed play. Here, contestants hit a plunger to light up one of the word columns, then picked one letter in that word. The letter was then turned over to reveal the prize, which in the last round was a maximum of $7,500. The winner of the main game went to the bonus round, where they spun a wheel which had alternating values of $25,000 and $50,000. During the show, new instant games were showcased, along with Lottery news, and a second-chance drawing of losing mailed-in tickets (instant and online) was conducted.
The program was taped at WISN-TV
in Milwaukee; all contestants (who each could bring a guest 18 or older) living outside of the Milwaukee area (the city and its surrounding four-county area) received a two-night stay at the Grand Milwaukee Hotel (now the Four Points Sheraton
-Mitchell Field) for their appearance. Hosts were Mark Johnson and Parker Drew; the show's hostess was Lori Minetti. Money Game became Super Money Game in mid-2002, involving more contests with a smaller contestant pool, equivalent to a lower-cost version of the Hoosier Lottery
's Hoosier Millionaire
.
WISN Radio (1130) in Milwaukee broadcast the drawings on radio until the station's 1997 sale from Hearst to Clear Channel Communications
. Several Wisconsin stations would pick up the audio portion of the television drawings, but most (as is the case now) read the winning numbers from Associated Press
releases from the Lottery after the drawings, which also receive publication in newspapers throughout Wisconsin, USA Today
, and the border areas of outlying states.
(which replaced L*A) in 1992.
Other games were added by the Lottery, but were not always successful, such as MUSL's Daily Millions
, which was infamous for having few winners of the $1 million cash prize, and having a complicated drawing procedure involving three number pools and various colored balls. Another MUSL game, Cash4Life, which offered an annuitized prize of $1,000 per week for life (no cash option was available) with a first-prize win from a 99-ball pool; only four players won that game by its end in 1999. Neither WISN nor the Wisconsin Lottery network televised either game's drawings (held at 9:45pm) due to lack of popularity.
The Badger 5
game continues to this day; its play style is found in most US lotteries.
The televised drawings and the Money Game were discontinued at the end of 2002 due to budget constraints and marginalizing of the game show into lower-rated timeslots. The drawings then moved to Madison and are done around 9:30pm nightly at the Lottery's headquarters building; the final stations which were part of the Lottery network continue to receive first priority by the Lottery to release the nightly numbers. The Mega Millions and Powerball drawings now can be aired by any Wisconsin station, although they usually televise the drawings only for large jackpots.
In January 2012, Powerball will have a new format; each basic game will cost $2, or, with PowerPlay, $3.
and Powerball
in US lottery jurisdictions. Wisconsin joined Mega Millions on January 31, 2010.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It is a 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). Its games consist of 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...
, 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...
, Megabucks, Supercash!, Badger 5
Fantasy 5
The following is a list of lottery games in the United States and Canada in which five regular numbers are drawn from a larger set of numbers. The list includes the name, the number field for each, and the frequency of drawings. All pick-5 games in the U.S...
, Pick 3, Pick 4, and scratch games
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...
.
The minimum age to buy Wisconsin Lottery tickets is 18.
The Money Game
Until 2003, a game show produced by the Wisconsin Lottery and Hearst-Argyle Television, called Wisconsin Lottery Money Game, was aired weekly on the Lottery's network of stations. Contestants won a chance to play the game (and $100) if a scratch ticket contained three "TV" symbols; if not chosen for the main game, would win at least $500 from a pool of money split between them and the other 54 players not chosen. Five contestants would play the game, consisting of four or five rounds where they would choose cash prizes hidden behind the letters WISCONSIN LOTTERY MONEYGAME, which were set up in the style of the Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
gameboard, but with reversed play. Here, contestants hit a plunger to light up one of the word columns, then picked one letter in that word. The letter was then turned over to reveal the prize, which in the last round was a maximum of $7,500. The winner of the main game went to the bonus round, where they spun a wheel which had alternating values of $25,000 and $50,000. During the show, new instant games were showcased, along with Lottery news, and a second-chance drawing of losing mailed-in tickets (instant and online) was conducted.
The program was taped at WISN-TV
WISN-TV
WISN-TV, virtual channel 12.1 , is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin serving as an affiliate of the ABC television network. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha, Sheboygan and Waukesha...
in Milwaukee; all contestants (who each could bring a guest 18 or older) living outside of the Milwaukee area (the city and its surrounding four-county area) received a two-night stay at the Grand Milwaukee Hotel (now the Four Points Sheraton
Four Points by Sheraton
Four Points by Sheraton is a Starwood Hotels & Resorts hotel brand, targeted towards business travelers and small conventions. The Four Points is Starwood's 3rd largest brand and is found in over 24 different countries with around 149 properties worldwide....
-Mitchell Field) for their appearance. Hosts were Mark Johnson and Parker Drew; the show's hostess was Lori Minetti. Money Game became Super Money Game in mid-2002, involving more contests with a smaller contestant pool, equivalent to a lower-cost version of the Hoosier Lottery
Hoosier Lottery
The Hoosier Lottery is run by the government of Indiana. It is the only US lottery that uses the state's nickname, rather than the state name itself, as its name. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association...
's Hoosier Millionaire
Hoosier Millionaire
Hoosier Millionaire was a television lottery game show which aired from October 28, 1989 to November 19, 2005.The game show began on WTTV/WTTK in Indianapolis/Bloomington/Kokomo. Other stations airing the show on a statewide network upon the program's debut included;*WLFI - Lafayette*WKJG - Ft...
.
Television network
The Lottery television network consisted of the following stations from the Lottery's inception until 2002: ;- WISNWISN-TVWISN-TV, virtual channel 12.1 , is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin serving as an affiliate of the ABC television network. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha, Sheboygan and Waukesha...
(12) - Milwaukee - WKOWWKOW-TVWKOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for Madison, Wisconsin. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 26 from a transmitter in the city's Middleton Junction section; the station is also available on Charter Cable systems in the Madison market...
(27) - MadisonMadison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.... - WBAYWBAY-TVWBAY-TV is the ABC television affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin, broadcasting on UHF digital channel 23 from a transmitter located in the town of Ledgeview, Wisconsin, and master control based in its building in downtown Green Bay...
(2) - Green BayGreen Bay, WisconsinGreen Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,... - WXOWWXOW-TVWXOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for La Crosse, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter at its studios on County Highway 25 in La Crescent, Minnesota. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,...
& WQOWWQOW-TVWQOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 15. Owned by Quincy Newspapers, the station has studios on Old Town Hall Road in Eau Claire...
(19/18) - La CrosseLa Crosse, WisconsinLa Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
/Eau ClaireEau Claire, WisconsinEau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,... - WAOW/WYOWWAOW-TVWAOW is the ABC-affiliated television station for North Central Wisconsin's Northern Highland area licensed to Wausau. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter on Rib Mountain. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 6 and in high definition on...
(9/34) - WausauWausau, WisconsinWausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
/Eagle RiverEagle River, WisconsinEagle River is a city in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,443 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Vilas County. The city is known for being a popular "Northwoods" vacation town...
/RhinelanderRhinelander, WisconsinRhinelander is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 7,735 at the 2000 census.-Claim to fame:... - KBJRKBJR-TVKBJR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of Downtown Duluth in Hilltop Park...
(6) - Superior, WisconsinSuperior, WisconsinSuperior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...
/Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, MinnesotaDuluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
(the only non-ABC station to air the show)
WISN Radio (1130) in Milwaukee broadcast the drawings on radio until the station's 1997 sale from Hearst to Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
. Several Wisconsin stations would pick up the audio portion of the television drawings, but most (as is the case now) read the winning numbers from Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
releases from the Lottery after the drawings, which also receive publication in newspapers throughout Wisconsin, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and the border areas of outlying states.
Drawings
The Lottery's nightly drawings, starting in 1991 with the introduction of Supercash! (a $250,000 daily six-number game when it began) also took place at WISN-TV, and were usually drawn by its employees not part of the station's news department, or by employees of WISN Radio and WLTQ, which were owned by Hearst at the time and shared the WISN studios. In 1993, the Lottery added a Pick 3 game, followed by Pick 4 in 1997. The Lottery joined the multi-jurisdictional Lotto*America game in 1989. Later, the Lottery began its Wisconsin's Very Own Megabucks jackpot drawings after the launch of PowerballPowerball
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...
(which replaced L*A) in 1992.
Other games were added by the Lottery, but were not always successful, such as MUSL's Daily Millions
Daily Millions
Daily Millions was a US lottery game administered by the Multi-State Lottery Association . It was available in some of the jurisdictions that sell MUSL's most popular game, Powerball...
, which was infamous for having few winners of the $1 million cash prize, and having a complicated drawing procedure involving three number pools and various colored balls. Another MUSL game, Cash4Life, which offered an annuitized prize of $1,000 per week for life (no cash option was available) with a first-prize win from a 99-ball pool; only four players won that game by its end in 1999. Neither WISN nor the Wisconsin Lottery network televised either game's drawings (held at 9:45pm) due to lack of popularity.
The Badger 5
Fantasy 5
The following is a list of lottery games in the United States and Canada in which five regular numbers are drawn from a larger set of numbers. The list includes the name, the number field for each, and the frequency of drawings. All pick-5 games in the U.S...
game continues to this day; its play style is found in most US lotteries.
The televised drawings and the Money Game were discontinued at the end of 2002 due to budget constraints and marginalizing of the game show into lower-rated timeslots. The drawings then moved to Madison and are done around 9:30pm nightly at the Lottery's headquarters building; the final stations which were part of the Lottery network continue to receive first priority by the Lottery to release the nightly numbers. The Mega Millions and Powerball drawings now can be aired by any Wisconsin station, although they usually televise the drawings only for large jackpots.
Pre-Wisconsin Lottery
The first "modern" lottery tickets in Wisconsin were sold on Oneida Nation land near Green Bay. Before the Wisconsin Lottery began, some players who did not want to drive to Illinois tried their luck at stores on the reservation. The main game offered by the Oneida Nation was Big Green, which began as a pick-6-of-36 jackpot game. The Oneida Nation also offered a televised bingo game program on Green Bay stations in the mid-to-late 1980s, which was in the form of a caller reading the numbers on the bottom of the screen, with the lighted number board on the top portion, allowing winners to redeem winning cards at the tribe's bingo hall.Pick 3
Pick 3 is played nightly. It began on September 21, 1992. Pick 3 draws three digits 0 through 9. Prices, prizes, and options vary.Badger 5
Badger 5 also is nightly. It draws 5 numbers from 1 through 31. Badger 5 jackpots begin at $10,000, increasing by at least $1,000 per drawing if not won. Games cost $1. Badger 5 began on February 17, 2003.SuperCash!
SuperCash! also is nightly. It began on February 4, 1991. SuperCash! draws 6 numbers 1 through 39. Minimum play is 2 panels for $1; an even number of games must be played. The top prize is $350,000; initially, the top prize was $250,000.Megabucks
Megabucks, a jackpot game, is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. It draws 6 numbers 1 through 49. Minimum play also is 2 panels for $1.Powerball (multi-lottery game)
Since August 10, 1989, Wisconsin has been a member of MUSL. Powerball began on April 19, 1992. Its jackpots begin at $20 million; it is drawn Wednesday and Saturday nights. Each basic play costs $1; with the PowerPlay multipler, $2.In January 2012, Powerball will have a new format; each basic game will cost $2, or, with PowerPlay, $3.
Mega Millions (multi-lottery game)
On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and MUSL reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega MillionsMega 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...
and 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...
in US lottery jurisdictions. Wisconsin joined Mega Millions on January 31, 2010.