Mission and HistoryConsistent with our legislative mandate, we will design, regulate, promote, distribute, and sell lottery games of chance in Vermont. In doing this we must preserve the integrity of the games, maximize profitability, and make a significant contribution to the Education Fund while maintaining the dignity of the state and the general welfare of the people. Thus, the balance between providing funds for the state's Education Fund and a strong "Play Responsibly" message to the public.
In carrying out this mission, we attempt to arrive at growth projections that not only reflect what we are capable of achieving, but also those that are consistent with past history, other lotteries, and the desire to keep the growth consistent and manageable.
1976
In 1976 a referendum was held regarding the establishment of a state run lottery. Sixty-six percent of those casting ballots voted to establish a Vermont Lottery.
Public Act No. 82 established the Vermont Lottery Commission during the 1977 session of the General Assembly and provided for its termination on June 30, 1980 unless the 1979 Assembly authorized continuation.
1978
The Vermont Lottery Commission was granted $250,000 seed money. It took the lottery seven months from inception of the lottery to produce the first ticket and eighteen months to pay back the $250,000.
The first game (Green Mountain Game) went on sale February 14, 1978. This game involved a weekly drawing. A winner was established by the matching of the pre-printed numbers on the ticket to the numbers drawn. The first instant ticket (Scratch 'N Match) went on sale June 20, 1978.
1979
During the 1979 legislative session, the Vermont Lottery was extended for another three years. However, a steady growth in sales inspired the confidence of the General Assembly, and during the 1981 session, they authorized the indefinite continuation of the Vermont Lottery Commission.
1998
Since its inception all profits generated by the Vermont Lottery were dedicated for use by the state’s General Fund. In July 1998, the Vermont Legislature mandated that all profits from the Vermont Lottery go to the state’s Education Fund.
Today The Vermont Lottery continues to be run by a small, efficient staff of professionals consisting of 20 full-time employees and five commissioners. It is still one of the smallest staffs of any lottery in the United States.
Vermont Lottery Commission DirectorsAlan R. Yandow, Executive DirectorJuly 27, 1998 to present
Frederick R. McGibney, Director
April 17, 1991 to December 18, 1997
Harry W. Seal, Acting Director
January 28, 1991 to April 17, 1991
December 18, 1997 to July 24, 1998
Robert Quinlan, Acting Director
November 29, 1990 to January 25, 1991
Robert S. Babcock, Director
August 9, 1988 to December 31, 1990
Thomas McGuire, Acting Director
July 5, 1988 to August 7, 1988
James M. Bolton, Director
December 31, 1985 to June 30, 1988
George A. Dacey, Director
September 26, 1983 to December 20, 1985
Ralph C. Peters, Director
November 19, 1979 to September 30, 1983
Henry J. Malkus, Director
October 17, 1977 to November 16, 1979
General InformationMegabucks, Paycheck, Pick 3, Pick 4, and Powerball players have one year from the winning draw date to claim their prizes. There have been two unclaimed jackpots in Tri-State Megabucks history. The first unclaimed jackpot was for $2 million for the drawing held on July 5, 1986. The second was for the drawing of April 8, 1992 for a cash sum of $100,000. All expired Tri-State game money goes back to the players.
A player can collect up to and including $499 on instant and on-line winnings from the retailer. Any amount over that must be claimed at the Vermont Lottery headquarters. Vermont Chittenden Banks can redeem any instant cash prize of $200 and up to $5,000 and any on-line cash prize from $500 to $5,000.
Vermont Lottery Agents receive a 5.75% sales commission on all Tri-State and Vermont Lottery Instant ticket sales; they receive a 6% sales commission on all Powerball ticket sales. Agents also receive a 1% bonus (capped at $30,000) for selling winning Vermont or Tri-State lottery ticket of $500 or more.
The Lottery’s net profit went to the General Fund from the Lottery’s inception through fiscal year 1998. It was not earmarked for special purposes. Beginning in fiscal year 1999, the lottery's net profit went to the Education Fund.
Players must be 18 years or older to purchase a lottery ticket. Anyone under 18 may receive a lottery ticket as a gift and could therefore collect a prize.
History of Lottery GamesThe Vermont Lottery has released hundreds of Instant “Scratch Off” games and offered many different on-line games (which are numbers games offered through the Lottery terminals at Lottery agent locations) to consumers. Six products are currently available to Vermont Lottery players: Instant Tickets, Vermont Powerball, Tri-State Megabucks, Tri-State Triple Play, Tri-State Pick 3 and Tri-State Pick 4.
Instant TicketsInstant tickets create the largest revenue for the Vermont Lottery. Multiple games are on the market at any given time offering players a variety of play styles, top prizes and themes. Instant ticket prices are $1, $2, $3, $5 and $10 with a varied prize payout of 64% to 75%. Top prizes range from $100 to $75,000.
PowerballPowerball tickets went on sale in Vermont July 1, 2003, with the first drawing held on July 2, 2003.
Powerball has a matrix of 5 of 55 and 1 of 42. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 146.1 million. Players can choose to claim the entire jackpot amount (30 graduated payments over 29 years) or claim approximately half in a one-time-only, lump sum payment. Jackpots start at $15,000,000 (paid in annual payments) and continue to roll until won. Other prize levels include a $200,000 second prize and 6 other prize levels with payouts from $3 to $10,000. One play costs one dollar.
For an additional $1.00, players may opt to PowerPlay their ticket, which will multiply prizes (except the jackpot) by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times. The multiplier is determined by a prize wheel at the time of the Powerball drawing.The drawings take place Wednesday and Saturday 10:59 PM (ET)
Tri-State MegabucksVermont, Maine and New Hampshire formed Tri-State Megabucks in 1985. Sales began on September 3, 1985 and the first draw was held on September 14, 1985. It began with a 6 out of 30 matrix, jackpot odds of 1 in 593,775 and a Saturday night draw. In January 1986, the game was changed to a 6 out of 36 matrix, which increased the odds to 1 in 1.9 million. There was one draw held on Saturday night. In January 1988, the matrix was increased to 6 out of 40, increasing the odds to 1 in 3.8 million. There was one draw held on Saturday night. In May 1990, the number of draws increased to twice a week, Wednesday and Saturday. In June 1996, the game was enhanced to include MegaCash. This option allows jackpot winners to take their share of the money available in the jackpot prize pool in a one-time-only, lump sum payment, which is about half the estimated annuitized jackpot. Players must decide within 60 days of claiming the jackpot how they want to receive their winnings.
Presently, Tri-State Megabucks is a 6 out of 42 game with a bonus ball. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 5.2 million. Players can choose to claim the entire jackpot amount over 25 years or claim approximately half in a one-time-only, lump sum payment (MegaCash). Other prize levels include a $10,000 second prize and 6 other lower tier prize levels. The latest enhancements to the game were made on March 12, 1997. One play costs one dollar. This is the only game that offers subscriptions.
The draws are held on Wednesday and Saturday nights at 7:59 PM (ET).Megabucks jackpots range from $500,000 (guaranteed) to our largest which was $16.4 million. Jackpot estimates grow from $500,000 to $550,000 to $600,000 and by approximately $50,000 to $100,000 thereafter.
Tri-State PaycheckPaycheck replaced the Triple Play game on January 12, 2007 with Tuesday and Friday drawings.
The draws are held on Tuesday and Friday nights at 6:50 PM (ET).
Tri-State Pick 3 and Pick 4 (Daily Numbers)Pick 3 was the Vermont Lottery's first on-line game. It began on November 10, 1980. Pick 4 began September 3, 1985. Effective June 28, 1995, the daily numbers games, Pick 3 and Pick 4, became Tri-State games. On June 29, 2003, a mid-day draw was added for each game.
Players pick three or four numbers to be played either straight (same order), box (any order) or a combination of both. On September 13, 1998 front pair/back pair was added to the game. For both Pick 3 and Pick 4, players can wager 50 cents to $5.00 per play. Prizes won range from $25 to $25,000.The draws are conducted at 1:10 PM (ET) and 6:55 PM (ET) Sunday through Saturday.
Previous Cash Games
Tri-State/Vermont Triple Play ~ June 26, 2005 to January 12, 2007
Triple Play replaced the Heads or Tails daily game on June 26, 2005 with Tuesday and Friday drawings. Sales began on June 26, 2005 and the first draw was held on June 28, 2005. The last drawing was held on January 12, 2007.
Triple Play was a 5 out of 45 game with multiple ways to win. The game included a Base Game, which was the Tri-State portion of the game, and a Combined Play, which was the Vermont portion of the game. The Base Game gave players three single lines of play to match to the winning numbers. The Combined Play portion gave players the combined three lines of numbers to match to winning numbers. The top prize was a rolling jackpot starting at $30,000. If there were multiple jackpot winners, the jackpot was divided equally among all the jackpot winners. The jackpot prize was a one-time cash payment. There were 8 other prize levels below the jackpot prize. One ticket (with multiple plays) cost two dollars.
Tri-State Heads or Tails ~ November 16, 2003 to June 25, 2005
Heads or Tails replaced Cash Lotto's Tuesday and Friday drawings with a Daily drawing. Sales began for Heads or Tails on November 16, 2003 and the first draw was held on November 16, 2003. The game ended on June 25, 2005.
Heads or Tails had a matrix of 5 of 34 and 1 of 2, with a cash jackpot of $50,000. Heads or Tails paid $50,000 cash to each of a maximum of 3 winners per draw. If there were more than 3 jackpot winners for a single drawing (5 of 34 plus 1 of 2), the maximum jackpot prize pool of $150,000 was to be divided equally among the jackpot winners. There were 7 prize levels below the jackpot with payouts from $1 to $25,000. One play cost one dollar.
Tri-State Cash Lotto ~ February 27, 2002 to November 14, 2003
Cash Lotto replaced WinCash in February of 2002. Sales began for Cash Lotto on February 27, 2002. The first draw was held on March 1, 2002 and the game ended on November 14, 2003.
The drawings took place every Tuesday and Friday evening. Cash Lotto had a matrix of 4 of 33 and 1 of 33, with a cash jackpot of $200,000. Cash Lotto paid $200,000 cash to each of a maximum of 3 winners per draw. If there were more than 3 jackpot winners (4 of 33 plus 1 of 33), the maximum jackpot prize pool of $600,000 was divided equally among the jackpot winners. There were 7 prize levels below the jackpot with payouts from $1 to $2,000. One play cost one dollar.
Tri-State WinCash ~ September 6, 1997 to February 26, 2002
WinCash replaced Tri-State 5 Card Cash. Sales began for WinCash on September 6, 1997. The first draw was held on September 12, 1997 and the game ended on February 26, 2002.
The drawings took place every Tuesday and Friday evenning. This was the first Tri-State on-line game that did not air the live draw. WinCash had a matrix of 6 of 36 with a rolling jackpot starting at a guaranteed $50,000. Players matching all 6 numbers drawn won the jackpot. If there were multiple jackpot winners on any given drawing, the jackpot amount was divided among the winners. There were 3 other prize levels below the top prize with payouts from $1 to $500. One play cost one dollar.
Tri-State 5 Card Cash ~ June 28, 1995 to September 5, 1997
5 Card Cash replaced Tuesday's Tri-State Cash 5 and Friday's Lotto Vermont. The first draw was held on July 4, 1995. The game ended on September 5, 1997.
The drawings took place every Tuesday and Friday evening. The game was a 5 of 31 plus 1 matrix with a cash jackpot of $100,000. 5 Card Cash paid $100,000 cash to each of a maximum of 5 winners per draw. If there were more than 5 jackpot winners (5 of 31 plus 1), the maximum jackpot prize pool of $500,000 was to be divided equally among the jackpot winners. Up to 15 second prize winners (5 of 31) received $20,000 per draw with the maximum prize pool of $300,000 to be divided equally among all winners if there were more than 15 winners. If there were no winners, the prize money remained in the prize pool. There were 5 other prize levels below the top prize. One play cost one dollar.
Tri-State Cash 5 ~ April 19, 1992 to June 27, 1995
Cash 5 tickets went on sale April 19, 1992. The first draw was April 28, 1992. The last draw for Cash 5 was June 27, 1995.
The draw was held every Tuesday evening. This was a 5 of 35 game with a cash jackpot of $50,000. $50,000 would be paid in cash to a maximum of 5 winners per draw. If there were more than five top prize winners, all winners evenly split the maximum amount of $250,000. There were 3 other prize levels below the top prize. If no one won the top prize, the $50,000 payout was split evenly among the match four winners in addition to their match four prize. One play cost one dollar.
Lotto Vermont ~ May 20, 1990 to June 30, 1995
Lotto Vermont ticket sales began May 20, 1990. The first draw was conducted on May 25, 1990. The last draw was held on June 30, 1995. This was a 6 of 30 cash payout game. The prize payouts were pari-mutuel and based on weekly sales. In February 1992 the Vermont Lottery instituted a $100,000 minimum guaranteed jackpot.
Players could win money for matching 4, 5 or 6 numbers. The draw was held Friday evenings. Winning jackpots ranged from $32,000 to $506,000 in cash. One play cost one dollar.
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