The Minnesota Lottery is the official lottery of Minnesota. It was established through a successful voter referendum in 1988. The minimum age to purchase its tickets is 18.
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Money Distribution
Since the beginning of the Lottery, the distribution formula of Lottery proceeds has been adjusted multiple times. The distribution of money from the Lottery for fiscal year 2010:
Gross revenue: $466,575,526
Hot Lotto
Hot Lotto is available through 15 lotteries, including those of Minnesota and the District of Columbia; it is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. Hot Lotto draws five "white balls" numbered 1 through 47, and an "orange Hot Ball" from a second pool, of 19 numbers. Jackpots begin at $1,000,000 (cash, and "taxes-paid"), increasing by at least $50,000 per rollover. Plays are $1 each, or $2 with the "Sizzler" option; it triples a non-jackpot prize.
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. Minnesota added Mega Millions on January 31, 2010, the cross-sell expansion date. Mega Millions' most recent format change took place in October 2013; jackpots begin at $15 million. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays.
As with Hot Lotto, Mega Millions plays are $1 each, or $2 with the multiplier option, called "Megaplier", which multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Powerball
Since 1990, Minnesota has been a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL); the organization began Powerball in 1992. It is drawn Wednesday and Saturday nights.
Monopoly Millionaires' Club (future)
Monopoly Millionaires′ Club will debut October 19, 2014 with drawings Fridays beginning October 24. Twenty-three lotteries will participate in the launch, with an additional seven expected in 2015.
Gopher 5
Gopher 5 is drawn Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It draws 5 numbers from 1 to 47. Gopher 5 jackpots begin at $100,000 and increase until won.
Northstar Cash
Also drawn daily. Five numbers 1-31 are chosen. Jackpots begin at $25,000.
On February 11, 2007, Raymond Snouffer Jr., an airline pilot from Maplewood, Minnesota, won Northstar Cash for the second time in two days, an occurrence that lottery officials inaccurately described as "virtually incalculable". (The actual probability of this happening is merely the square of the odds of a jackpot win on a $1 wager, viz. 1:28,869,747,921, assuming he wagered $1 in both drawings).
Daily 3
Daily 3 is a three-digit numbers-style game and is drawn daily. Prices, prizes, and options vary.
Scratch games
Like many American lotteries, Minnesota offers numerous scratchcard games of differing themes, prices, and prize values.