Lottery In Rhode Island

Rhode Island lotteries existed in the state as far back as the 17th century, however, it was outlawed in 1732 and would remain a lottery-free state until 1973 when changes to the constitutional amendment would once again allow the Ocean State to place bets on the lottery. These days the lottery has raised billions of dollars in revenue for some worthwhile causes and even offers a huge range of games with an online platform.

Legal Lottery Options in Rhode Island

There are plenty of places you can purchase tickets from in Rhode Island, if you want to find out which one is nearest to you, just check out the retailer locator on the official Rhode Island Lottery website.

On top of being able to play plenty of lotto games from various physical locations, the doors are wide open with regards to getting tickets online. The official lottery website is known as The Lot and once you sign up you can enjoy e-instant games and plenty of other features.

We take a look at all the lottery games available to players in Rhode Island.

Jackpot Games

These multi-state games offer huge prize pools and jackpots that can turn your life into one of a high-flying millionaire in an instant. If you are looking for some seriously huge wins, these are the kinds of games you’ll want to be playing.

Right now in Rhode Island, you can only purchase these kinds of tickets over the counter at various retail locations.

Powerball

Rhode Island was one of the founding members of the Multi-State Lottery Association that released the Powerball began back in 1987. It was initially named the Lotto America game until 1992 when the Powerball branding was unleashed.

These days the US Powerball is the single largest lottery in the United States, with a minimum jackpot of $2 million for a $2 stake, this is a draw for the dreamers out there.

Mega Millions

This game started out at The Big Game in 1996, it’s now one of the nation’s largest lotteries and has made people billionaires. In fact, Mega Millions is responsible for the single largest payout in lottery history, when $1.537 billion was paid out to one lucky South Carolina winner on October 23rd, 2018.

Tickets cost $2 and the game is drawn every Tuesday and Friday night. You can also play the Megapliar which will boost your non-jackpot winnings depending on how much extra you apply to it, $1 will get you an x2 boost, $2 extra on your ticket will give you an x3 multiplier, and so on.

Lucky For Life

Boasting a payday for the rest of your days, the main prize is $1,000 a day for life and a chunky second prize is up for grabs with $25,000 a year for life. The game is drawn every night and tickets cost $2.

Daily Draw Games

There are also many in-state games that run every day, these games offer smaller prizes, but give you a better chance of winning. So if you aren’t too greedy and just looking for a nice payday, these games will suit you. Once again you can only play these games in retail locations within Rhode Island.

The Numbers

This is a Rhode Island game that started back in 1976, it was the first Rhode Island Lottery game that allowed players to select their own numbers. There are two drawings each day and you can win up to $25,000 with tickets starting at just $0.50.

Wild Money

This is yet another exclusive to the residents of Rhode Island, boasting a minimum jackpot of $20,000 and with wins sometimes exceeding $600,000. This daily evening draw game offers you a chance to pick five numbers for $1, with up to five different selections per ticket possible.

Bingo

Available in Rhode Island since 2012, this Bingo game is drawn every 8 minutes from 5:00 am until 12:42 am on Monday through to Saturday and 7:00 am to 12:42 am on Sunday. Tickets start at $1 and are capped at $150 at any one time. You can choose to play for $1-$10 per board and you can choose to play 1-3 boards and up to 5 games per time.

Additional Games

There are plenty of other games available in Rhode Island. You can enjoy video lottery, table games, stadium gaming, and sports betting on Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) in the Twin River Casino Hotel and the Tiverton Casino Hotel.

You will also find various charitable causes in the state that can raise funds with Pull Tab Games. These non-profit organizations offer games with a chance to win up to $150 instantly whilst raising funds for good causes.

You can also play instant win games that range from $1-$20 and payout up to $200,000 with the largest tickets. There are also plenty of e-instant games available on the official lottery website. There you can enjoy bingo games, casino games, tic tac toe, and many other types of instant win games.

Rhode Island State Lottery History

• 1973– A vote to make a constitutional amendment passes with a 3-1 margin and allows Rhode Island to create a lottery.
• 1974 – The first $0.50 lottery tickets are sold for The Lot game which had a top prize of $50,000.
• 1975 – Rhode Island Lottery creates its first televised lottery show.
• 1976 – The lottery introduces the first instant win ticket for $1.
• 1987 – Rhode Island Lottery joins forces with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) allowing higher prizes and more draws.
• 1988 – The first MUSL games go on sale, with Lotto America tickets sold for $1. The game would later be re-named to Powerball.
• 1992 – Legislation is passed that will allow Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) to operate in the state’s two pari-mutuel locations.
• 1988 – The first MUSL games go on sale, with Lotto America tickets sold for $1. The game would later be re-named to Powerball.
• 1999 – The Rhode Island Lottery goes online with its official website: www.rilot.com
• 2010 – The Rhode Island Lottery begins selling Mega Millions tickets.
• 2020 – The lottery makes Keno games and e-Instants available to play online via mobile devices.

What Does the Rhode Island State Lottery Fund?

The lottery transfers its revenue to the State General Fund, which is used to benefit all Rhode Island residents with support for tax relief, boosting the funding for education in the state, helping with public safety campaigns, as well as helping law enforcement and human services funding.

Where Can You Play the Lottery in Rhode Island?

There are plenty of options open to you in Rhode Island to get involved with lottery games. You can play various instant and keno games online or via the mobile app, you can play major multi-state and local lotteries from thousands of retail locations or even play games on the Video Lottery Terminals that are located in various casinos in the area. You can also buy instant win tickets and charity pull tab tickets locally from stores.

Ciaran McEneaney

Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.