Ohio State Lottery
The Ohio Lottery has been the primary provider of gambling in the state ever since it was launched in 1974 by the Ohio Lottery Commission. It currently features eight draw games, including multi-state games such as Powerball and Mega Millions.
Apart from classic draw games, the Ohio Lottery offers several progressive jackpot games, scratch-offs, keno and more. To participate in any game, players must be at least 18 years old. The lottery profits go to the state’s educational programs.
This page covers Ohio Lottery draw games, with rules explanations and draw time listings, along with how to purchase tickets online and information on other legal forms of gambling in the state.
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Online lottery in Ohio
The Ohio Lottery is one of only several lotteries in the US with online and mobile lottery. Launched in 2020, players can now download the free Ohio Lottery app for iOS and Android devices through their respective app stores.
The app has several handy features. The ePaySlip allows you to pick your numbers, after which you will receive a unique barcode. You can then scan that barcode at a retail store without ever needing a physical paper ticket. You can also scan your tickets with your mobile camera to see whether you’ve won. Regardless of whether your ticket is a winning one, every time you scan it, you will receive points that you can later redeem in the app.
No matter how convenient the Ohio Lottery app may seem, you still need to physically go to a retail store if you want to complete your Ohio online lottery purchase. So, while you can technically play lottery games online, you can’t purchase tickets directly on the app.
Nevertheless, there is a way for you to purchase tickets online in Ohio without ever needing to leave the house. Many legal third-party services can buy the tickets for you and safely store them while you wait for the draw. The most notable of these services is Jackpocket.
How does Jackpocket work?
Jackpocket is the first officially licensed third-party lottery app in the US, allowing players to legally purchase lottery tickets online without going to a retailer. Jackpocket gives you a chance to play your favorite draw games from anywhere in Ohio. Moreover, you won’t have to worry about losing your tickets, because they will remain at an undisclosed location in a fireproof safe.
But how does Jackpocket actually work? First, you need to download the Jackpocket app and install it on your device. From there, you can browse the website to check out the available lottery games. Once you find a game, simply pick your numbers manually or select the quick pick option.
Place the order when you’re ready, and Jackpocket will send an employee to buy your ticket from an official lottery retail store. You’ll receive a scan of the ticket on the app, while Jackpocket stores the actual ticket in a safe.
Once the draw is over, if you win, you will be paid in full. Jackpocket will credit winnings of less than $600 to your account. You can then withdraw that money to your bank account or use it for buying future tickets. You must claim winnings of more than that amount in person.
As far as charges go, you will have to pay a small fee every time you deposit money into your Jackpocket account. Regardless of the amount, Jackpocket will always deliver your winnings in full. You can learn more about the app with our Jackpocket lottery review.
What lottery games can I play in Ohio?
Ohio Lottery features eight draw games: five in-house games and three multi-state games. Depending on the games and how lucky you get, you can win anywhere from a few bucks to jackpots worth more than $100 million.
Ohio multi-state draw games
As a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association, the Ohio Lottery offers Powerball and Mega Millions draw games, as well as another multi-state game called Lucky for Life. Here are the details.
Ohio Powerball
Powerball is the most popular US lottery game, featured across 47 jurisdictions. Powerball often has the highest jackpots out of any lottery game in the country due to its popularity. Ohio began offering Powerball tickets in 2010.
To play Powerball, you simply need to select five numbers from 1 to 69 (white balls) and one Powerball number from 1 to 26 (red ball). You can choose the numbers manually or get a random combination via the quick pick feature.
Players can create up to 10 plays per ticket, and each play costs $2. For an additional dollar, you can choose the Power Play option, a multiplier that allows you to multiply your wins two, three, four, five or 10 times. However, the 10x multiplier is only in play when the advertised jackpot is lower than $150 million.
The biggest Powerball jackpot won by someone in Ohio was $260 million in June of 2010.
Ohio Powerball key points
- $2 per ticket (+$1 for the optional Power Play feature).
- Nine ways to win.
- Biggest ever Powerball win in Ohio: $260 million.
Ohio Mega Millions
Mega Millions has been a part of the Ohio Lottery since 2002 and is another multi-state draw game that is very popular among Ohioans. It has a very similar structure to Powerball. To play Mega Millions, you need to pick five numbers from a pool of 70, as well as a single Mega Ball number from 1 to 25. Match all six numbers to win the jackpot.
Each play costs $2, and you can select five plays per ticket. Like with Powerball, players can pick their numbers or get randomly generated numbers through the quick pick option. The Megaplier feature costs $1 and gives you a chance to multiply your prize two, three, four or five times. The Megaplier doesn’t apply to the main jackpot prize.
Quite a few lucky individuals from Ohio have won the Mega Millions jackpot. The biggest jackpot ever recorded in Ohio was $267 million, drawn in February of 2006, followed by another $265 million jackpot in April of the same year.
Ohio Mega Millions key points
- $2 per ticket (+$1 for the optional Megaplier feature).
- Nine ways to win.
- Biggest ever Mega Millions win in Ohio: $267 million.
Ohio Lucky for Life
Lucky for Life is the third largest multi-state draw game in the US, available in 26 jurisdictions. It was introduced in Ohio for the first time in November 2015. The game features 10 ways to win, and the top two prizes offer payouts for life.
To win the main prize, players need to match six numbers, five from a pool of 48 and one Lucky Ball number from 1 to 18. Players are allowed to select their numbers or get random numbers generated through the auto pick feature.
You can make five plays on a single card, and each play costs $2. If you match five regular numbers, you will win $25,000 a year for life, while matching all six numbers rewards you with $1,000 a day for life. Other winning combinations award one-time cash prizes.
Ohio Lucky for Life key points
- $2 per play.
- Ten ways to win.
- Jackpot winner gets $1,000 a day for life.
Ohio Multi-State draw times
- Powerball — Draws are every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. All tickets must be purchased no later than 10 p.m. on the day of the draw.
- Mega Millions — Draws are every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. All tickets must be purchased no later than 10:45 p.m. on the day of the draw.
- Lucky for Life — Draws are every Monday and Thursday at approximately 10:35 p.m. All tickets must be purchased no later than 9:30 p.m. on the day of the draw.
Ohio state draw games
Apart from multi-state draw games, the Ohio State Lottery organizes five in-house draw games with sizable jackpots: Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Rolling Cash 5 and Classic Lotto. Here are the details for each:
- Pick 3 — Although it can be a bit complicated for first-time players, Pick 3 is an entertaining game that allows you to win in various ways. Three numbers are drawn, and you can choose how many numbers you want to match and if you wish to guess their exact order. Players can wager 50 cents or $1 per play. Available wagers include:
- Straight: Match all three numbers in the exact order. Wagering $1 on this option will win you a $500 jackpot.
- Front pair: Match the first two numbers in the exact order.
- Back pair: Match the last two numbers in the exact order.
- Split pair: Match the first and the third number in the exact order.
- Three-way box: Guess all three numbers in any order, with two being the same.
- Six-way box: Guess all three numbers in any order.
- Pick 4 — The Pick 4 game also allows players to choose between straight and boxed bets. You can also create a back-up bet, which combines a straight and boxed bet on one ticket, but the minimum wager is $1. Otherwise, each individual bet can cost 50 cents or $1.
- Straight: Match four numbers in the exact order. Winning this bet on a $1 wager will win you a jackpot of $5,000.
- 24-way box: Match four different numbers in any order.
- 12-way box: Match four numbers, with two being the same.
- Six-way box: Match two sets of the same number.
- Three-way box: Match four numbers, with three being the same.
- Pick 5 — Pick 5 is similar to Pick 3 and Pick 4, only it has a higher number of combinations and, therefore, a higher number of available bets. Again, players can wager 50 cents or $1 per play.
- Straight: Match all five numbers in the exact order to win a jackpot of $50,000.
- 120-Way Box: Match five different numbers in any order.
- 60-Way Box: Match one pair of the same number and three different numbers.
- 30-Way Box: Match two pairs of the same numbers and one different number.
- 20-Way Box: Match three of the same numbers and two different numbers.
- 10-Way Box: Match three of the same numbers and one pair.
- Five-Way Box: Match four of the same numbers and one different number.
Apart from these, players can also make pair bets like front four, back four, front three, back three, front pair and back pair.
- Rolling Cash 5 — Choose five numbers from 1 to 39. Match at least two numbers to break even, three to win $10, four to win $300 and all five to win the jackpot that starts at $100,000. The ticket costs $1.
- Classic Lotto — The Ohio Lottery introduced this game in 2007. The goal of the game is to pick six numbers from 1 to 49. Match all six to win a jackpot that starts at $1 million. The wagers cost $1 each, and for an extra dollar, you can choose the Kicker feature. After the six regular numbers, six Kicker numbers will be drawn. Match them in the exact order to win an extra prize. Matching all six Kicker numbers results in a $100,000 prize.
Ohio state draw times
- Pick 3 — Twice a day at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m. You must purchase tickets at least five minutes before each draw.
- Pick 4 — Twice a day at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m. You must purchase tickets at least five minutes before each draw.
- Pick 5 — Twice a day at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m. You must purchase tickets at least five minutes before each draw.
- Rolling Cash 5 — Daily at approximately 7:05 p.m. You must purchase tickets before 7 p.m.
- Classic Lotto — Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. You must purchase tickets before 7 p.m.
Ohio scratch tickets
So-called scratch-offs are the exclusive scratch tickets of the Ohio Lottery that you can purchase at retail locations across the state. You can choose from among 19 $1 cards, 17 $2 cards, two $3 cards, 18 $5 cards, 15 $10 cards, 12 $20 cards and six $30 cards. The more expensive the card, the bigger the potential rewards, with several jackpots reaching over one million dollars.
Other gambling options in Ohio
The lottery is very popular in Ohio, but it’s far from being the only gambling option in the state. Namely, Ohioans can wager on horse racing at several venues, and racetracks are also allowed to feature video lottery terminals. There are also several Vegas-style casinos in Ohio‘s major cities.
One major gambling option missing so far is sports betting in Ohio. Also, Ohio doesn’t have any specific laws relating to online gambling, so online casinos are also unavailable. In the meantime, Ohioans can play games on sweeps coins casinos or online social casinos, with options including sites like Funzpoints, Chumba, Pulsz, and Hello Millions.
Ohio Lottery history
Voters approved the Ohio Lottery Commission in 1973. In August of next year, the Ohio Lottery launched its first game, called Buckeye 300. In 1987, the state decided to direct the profits from lottery games to education.
The oldest existing in-house game is Pick 3, which debuted in 1979, while the latest addition is Pick 5, first available in 2012. Ohio added the Mega Millions and Powerball multi-state games in 2002 and 2010, respectively.
It’s also worth noting that the Ohio Lottery launched the Cash Explosion television show in 2007, which is the only lottery game show in the US. The show airs every Saturday evening, and features draws for the Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 games.
