Lotto America
Lotto America is a multi-state lottery that launched in the USA, as it goes from its name. It was operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association.
A brief history of Lotto America
Lotto America was the first lottery that the MUSL offered. It was operating in six states since 1987. Now its tickets are sold in 13 states: Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dacota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
At first, the lottery couldn’t offer huge Jackpots, so it took time before Lotto America became popular. Players took part in the first draw of the lottery in 1988. Lotto America lasted until April 1992 and then got replaced with Powerball. They had similar rules, while Powerball offered bigger Jackpots. So that was the end of Lotto America.
The new Lotto America was launched on November 12, 2017, and its first draw took place on November 15, 2017. This lottery was updated from its earlier version and became operational again. It was followed the cancellation of Hot Lotto’s sales that were falling down for a long time.
Now draws of Lotto America are held in Tallahassee, Florida at around 11.15 p.m. ET/10.15 p.m. Earlier there were no actual drawings available for players, but now they may find computer-generated videos of drawings on the unofficial lottery websites.
Usually accepting of entries is closed 1 hour before the draw, but the actual time varies in different states.
How to play Lotto America
Lotto America’s rules are similar to Powerball’s. To enter the draw, you must choose 5 numbers from a range of 52, and 1 number out 10 supplementary balls - from a separate pool. As you can see, that’s pretty simple!
If you wish to increase your chances, you may just buy more lines and choose any other numbers in it. The more different numbers you choose, the higher become your winning chances!
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An “All-Star” option
Alternatively, every player may add the “All-Star” option that is guaranteed to multiply winnings by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times. That will cost a player additional $ 2. Its number is declared at the end of every game.
Below you may see the odds of every All-Star to be drawn.
| All-Star bonus ball | Odds of being drawn |
|---|---|
| 5x | 1:10,67 |
| 4x | 1:8 |
| 3x | 1:3,2 |
| 2x | 1:2,13 |
The “All-Star” number determines how the prize will increase for a player who purchased that additional option together with one’s Lotto America ticket.
For example, if the “All-Star” number was 5x in the previous draw, the prize of $20.000 will simply become the $100.000. Not bad for an option that costs just $2!
A word about winning odds
Lotto America has nine prize tiers. To win the grand prize, players must match all five ordinary numbers and also the Star Ball. The Jackpot starts at the point of $2 million, but it’s also possible for you to win the minimum prize by just matching the Star Ball alone.
The overall odds of winning any Lotto America prize in that lottery are 1:9,6.
| Numbers to match | Winning chances | The sum of a prize |
|---|---|---|
| 5 + Star Ball | 1 in 25.989.600 | The Grand Prize |
| 5 | 1 in 2.887.733 | $20.000 |
| 4 + Star Ball | 1 in 110.594 | $1.000 |
| 4 | 1 in 12.288 | $100 |
| 3 + Star Ball | 1 in 2.404 | $20 |
| 3 | 1 in 267 | $5 |
| 2 + Star Ball | 1 in 160 | $5 |
| 1 + Star Ball | 1 in 29 | $2 |
| 0 + Star Ball | 1 in 17 | $2 |
Like most of the lotteries, Lotto America doesn’t have the upper limit on its Jackpot, so it will be rolled over and over until someone matches the cherished 5 numbers and the Star Ball.
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What is the time frame for claiming the prize?
The period of time that you have to claim the prize varies on the state in which the ticket was bought. These periods are ranging from 90 days to just one year!
The shortest time period is for tickets bought in New Mexico - just 90 days to claim the prize, or it will be returned to the lottery prize pool.
For North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Idaho, and Tennessee the maximum period for getting your winnings is 3 months (180 days); for Montana, the period is a little longer - 182 days. The maximum time frame that you have to claim the prize - 1 year, or 365 days - for buying a ticket in such states as Maine, Delaware, Minnesota, Iowa or Kansas.
What is your opinion on that lottery? Have you already tried it out? Share your opinion on Lotto America in comments!
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