Washington DC Lottery

Washington DC isn’t a state where gambling is encouraged, although several premier casino destinations are located near DC. However, one form of gambling that has been popular for more than three decades is the lottery.

All lottery games are regulated and operated by an organization called DC Lottery. Its official full name is the District of Columbia Lottery & Charitable Games Control Board. The board is part of the District of Columbia government, and it’s a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL).

The DC Lottery contributes to the General Fund, an essential component for aiding the city’s economy. The fund supports all kinds of services, such as education, parks and recreation, housing, public safety, and more.

However, according to the official website, the majority of earnings are distributed as prizes to lucky winners. The rest is distributed for agent commissions, contractor fees, and advertising.

In this article, we’ll cover all you need to know about the lottery in Washington DC, including types of games you can enjoy, how to buy tickets for them, and other essential information. Read on.

Washington DC online lottery

There are no laws that outlaw online gambling in the District of Columbia, meaning it’s perfectly legal to take part in online lottery games. The official platform for accessing the world of online lottery is called iLottery.

Some of the games you can access this way are Powerball and Mega Millions. In addition, you’ll be able to play an array of other games labeled as e-Instants on the platform.

You have to be physically located within DC to open an account and start playing iLottery. You can create an account on the official website and use one of the available payment options to fund it. Right now, the most popular methods are credit and debit cards, Skrill, and ACH transactions. The minimum deposit is $10.

You have to be 18 or above to legally play the online lottery in Washington DC.

The platform is available for desktop computers, tablets, and both Android and iOS mobile phones.

The DC Lottery also offers an official DC sports betting app, but we’ll focus on lottery games in this article.

How do I purchase lottery tickets online in DC?

Jackpocket is an online lottery app that allows you to buy real lottery tickets on the web. Simply put, it makes the entire ticket-purchasing procedure easier, and it facilitates payouts. Players who win up to $600 can get paid online instantly, whereas bigger prizes are delivered to the winners.

The Jackpocket lottery app comes with a variety of useful features for active lottery participants. For instance, you can automatically purchase the tickets for the drawings of your choice by letting the app do all the work. Moreover, you can set the notifications that will remind you to watch all the draws you are interested in.

The platform was established in 2013 and has been operating successfully ever since. Right now, you can purchase lottery tickets online in Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Washington DC. All of these states can access its services. Of course, the team behind Jackpocket works hard on expanding the service to other states as well.

What makes Jackpocket stand out from the pack is that it cooperates with regulators from all states where it’s accepted, ensuring full legality, safety, and security.

Here’s a quick overview of how to use Jackpocket app to start your lottery journey in DC.

1. Click this link to download Jackpocket, pick one of the available lottery games available and choose the numbers. If you’re not sure which numbers you should select, give the Quick Pick feature a shot, as it will randomly choose the numbers for you.
2. Check your ticket and place an order. Jackpocket will then purchase the ticket from a retailer.
3. You’ll get the actual scan of your ticket via the Jackpocket app, verifying that you’re the only owner of the ticket, which is then stored in a fireproof safe. The only people who have access to your tickets are trustworthy employees of Jackpocket.
4. Winnings are automatically paid online if you win up to $600. Otherwise, your prize is directly transported to you.

What lottery games can I play in Washington DC?

The lottery has been available in Washington DC since the ’80s. To be precise, DC Lottery was founded on August 2, 1982. Since then, lottery enthusiasts have been able to take part in all kinds of games, including Hot Lotto, Powerball, DC Daily 6, DC-5, DC-4, Keno, Mega Millions, scratch card games, and more.

Washington DC multi-state draw games

Let’s take a look at all the available multi-state draw games that are available in DC.

Washington DC Lucky for Life

Lucky for Life started small with the Connecticut lottery. However, it has expanded to 17 other states, including the District of Columbia, where it has been active since 2015. Prizes range from $3 to $1,000 daily. Each ticket costs $2.

The process of purchasing a ticket is identical to any other lottery. You need to choose five numbers out of 48, in addition to the Lucky Ball number from 1 to 18. You can also use the Multi-Draw option and buy tickets in advance for up to 20 consecutive draws. Please check your tickets carefully, as they cannot be canceled.

After the draw is completed, all you have to do is check the results to see if you’ve won.

Lucky for Life draws take place every Monday and Thursday at 10:38 p.m. You’re allowed to buy tickets until 9:30 p.m. on the drawing days.

Washington DC Lucky for Life key takeaways

• Lucky for Life was established in 2009 in Connecticut.
• A Lucky for Life ticket costs $2.
• You can win up to $1,000 lifetime daily prizes.

Washington DC Mega Millions

Mega Millions is one of the two most popular multi-state lotteries in the US. It’s a standard jackpot game where the pot starts at $40 million, in addition to other jackpot prizes ranging from $2 to $1 million.

Players need to select five numbers from 1 to 70. If you get all the numbers right, you’ll win the jackpot. Some of the lucky players from DC have managed to win additional jackpots of $1 million.

Draws in DC for the Mega Millions are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. You’re allowed to purchase tickets until 10:45 p.m.

Washington DC Mega Millions key points

• A Mega Millions ticket costs $2.
• The popular lottery option was added to DC Lottery’s offer on January 31, 2010.
• Several people in DC managed to win $1 million, thanks to Mega Millions.

Washington DC Powerball

Powerball was created in 1992, and it immediately became available to DC residents, as DC Lottery has been a member of MUSL since 1988. The popular lottery game is widely regarded as the biggest of its kind in the world. Your goal is to select five out of 69 numbers and guess them all.

What makes it unique is that you need to pick a number as your Powerball option (from 1 to 26). Guessing the five numbers + the Powerball will grant you the grand prize. If you’re not sure which numbers to select, you can always use the Quick Pick option to speed up the process.

Tickets cost $2 apiece, but you can add the Power Play feature for an additional $1. This feature will multiply your non-jackpot winnings up to 10x.

The biggest DC Powerball jackpot won was $144 million, sold at Giant on Alabama Avenue in Southeast.

Washington DC Powerball key points

• A single ticket for Powerball costs $2.
• The largest payout for a resident of Washington DC was $144 million.
• You need to guess six numbers right to get the grand prize.
• The minimum payout is $20.

Washington DC State draw games

The residents of Washington DC have an opportunity to take part in a wide array of in-state lottery games operated by the DC Lottery. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones at the moment.

• DC-2 — This is a two-digit game that offers six bet types. The minimum ticket amount is $0.50, and you can win up to $50. Drawings are held twice a day — at 1:50 p.m. and 7:50 p.m.
• DC-3 — DC-3 is a three-digit game that offers three different ways to play and nine ways of winning a prize, which can be anywhere from $25 to $500. Drawings take place twice a day — at 1:50 p.m. and 7:50 p.m.
• DC-4 — In this four-digit game, you’ll have eleven ways to win. You can get up to $5,000, in addition to other prizes varying from $100 to $2,500. Drawings take place daily, at the same time as DC-2 and DC-3.
• DC-5 — DC-5 is a five-digit game with 120 ways to win. The top prize is $50,000, with additional rewards between $25 and $25,000. Drawings are held daily at the same time as the previous three DC games.
• Race 2 Riches — This drawing game is closely associated with horse races. It takes place every four minutes from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. It offers an opportunity to win up to $1 million.
• The Lucky One — The Lucky One is a monitor draw game available in all retail locations throughout DC. Drawings take place every four minutes from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Washington DC scratch tickets

The official name used for the entire offer of scratch tickets offered by DC Lottery is DC Scratchers. They can award lucky players with up to $1 million, in addition to lots of other prizes.

• Lady Luck — If you match any of Your Numbers with Winning Numbers, you’ll win the prize shown for that number. If you reveal a Diamond symbol, you’ll automatically win the displayed prize. The 5X symbol multiples your prize five times. Revealing a Luck symbol will result in winning all 15 prizes. The maximum amount of money you can win this way is $50,000.
• Lucky Roll — If you reveal a 7 symbol, you’ll get the prize shown for it. If you reveal the 11 symbol, you’ll get a doubled prize. The maximum amount you can get with Lucky Roll is $1,000.
• Lucky 13 — If you match any of Your Numbers with Winning Numbers, you’ll get the prize displayed for that number. The Horse Shoe symbol will help you automatically win the shown prize, and the 3x symbol will triple the prize amount. If you reveal the 13 symbol, you’ll win all 12 prizes shown. Finally, revealing a Lucky symbol in the Bonus box will result in winning the indicated prize. The maximum amount of money you can win is $13,000.

Other gambling options in Washington DC

Strictly speaking, lottery and sports betting are the only forms of gambling that have been entirely legalized in the District of Columbia. There are no casinos or racetracks located within DC, but there are plenty of great options nearby.

Sports betting was legalized in 2019 and regulated with the Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018. First bets were placed in 2020. Since the DC Lottery itself offers online sports betting, it’s safe to assume that internet wagering on sports in DC is legal as well.

Online casinos are still off-limits in the District, but you can play social casino apps and online sweeps casinos for the time being. These include sites such as Funzpoints, Chumba, Chanced, and Pulsz.