History of Ohio Lottery in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 17, 2026

Established in 1974, the Ohio Lottery is a state-run agency responsible for managing various lottery games, including draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions, instant scratch-off tickets, and Keno. Operated by the Ohio Lottery Commission, the organization’s primary mission is to generate revenue to support public education throughout the state. Since its inception, the lottery has contributed billions of dollars to the Lottery Profits Education Fund, which assists K-12 school districts with funding for operational costs, technology, and classroom resources. The agency operates under strict regulatory oversight to ensure the integrity of its games and responsible gaming practices. Players must be at least 18 years old to participate. By balancing entertainment for residents with its mandate to fund state education, the Ohio Lottery serves as a significant financial pillar for Ohio’s public school system while offering diverse gaming opportunities across the state.

1971: Campaign for Ohio Lottery

In 1971, State Senator Ronald M. Mottl initiated a political campaign to establish a state-run lottery system in Ohio.

1973: Approval of the Ohio Lottery Commission

During 1973, Ohio voters officially approved the creation of the Ohio Lottery Commission, paving the way for legalized state lottery operations.

August 1974: Launch of the Ohio Lottery and Buckeye 300

In August 1974, the Ohio Lottery officially began operations with the launch of its inaugural game, Buckeye 300.

1974: Commencement of Lottery Contributions

The year 1974 marked the beginning of the Ohio Lottery's history of generating revenue contributions directed toward education.

December 3, 1979: Launch of The Number

On December 3, 1979, the Ohio Lottery introduced The Number, which marked the first time players in the state could select their own numbers for an online lottery game.

1979: Launch of The Number

In 1979, the Ohio Lottery introduced its first online game titled The Number, which is known today as Pick 3.

April 9, 1981: Launch of Pick 4

On April 9, 1981, the Ohio Lottery introduced the Pick 4 game, which initially functioned as a once-a-week drawing before eventually growing into a twice-daily lottery offering.

April 9, 1983: Launch of Ohio Lotto 6/40

On April 9, 1983, the Ohio Lottery introduced the Lotto 6/40 game, which featured weekly drawings on Saturdays with starting jackpots of $250,000.

July 1983: Lottery Profits Earmarked for Education

In July 1983, the Ohio General Assembly initiated the policy of designating Ohio Lottery profits specifically to support education funding.

November 19, 1983: Jackpot Increase

On November 19, 1983, the Ohio Lottery officially increased the starting jackpot for the Lotto 6/40 game to $1 million.

October 3, 1984: Addition of Wednesday Drawings

On October 3, 1984, the Ohio Lottery expanded the schedule for the Lotto 6/40 game to include drawings on Wednesdays in addition to the existing Saturday schedule.

February 12, 1986: Return to Saturday-Only Drawings

Following February 12, 1986, the Ohio Lottery modified the Lotto 6/40 schedule, reverting the game to a single weekly drawing held on Saturdays.

February 19, 1986: Introduction of Super Lotto 6/44

On February 19, 1986, the Ohio Lottery introduced the Super Lotto 6/44 game, which was drawn on Wednesdays and served as the replacement for the existing 6/40 Wednesday drawings.

April 18, 1987: Final Drawing of Lotto 6/40

The Ohio Lottery conducted the final drawing for the original Lotto 6/40 game on April 18, 1987, marking the end of its run.

April 25, 1987: Expansion of Super Lotto 6/44

On April 25, 1987, the Super Lotto 6/44 added Saturday drawings to its schedule, which resulted in the total replacement of the 6/40 game. The ticket price was set at $1 per game with jackpots starting at $5 million, later adjusted to $3 million upon the resumption of twice-a-week draws.

1987: Constitutional Amendment for Education Funding

During 1987, Ohio voters ratified a constitutional amendment that permanently established lottery profits as a supplemental source of revenue for the state's education system.

April 1988: Launch of The Kicker Add-on

In April 1988, the Ohio Lottery introduced The Kicker as an optional add-on game for Super Lotto, which automatically applied a six-digit number to all tickets regardless of activation.

April 30, 1988: Launch of The Kicker

On April 30, 1988, the Ohio Lottery introduced The Kicker as an add-on game to be played in conjunction with the existing 6/44 lottery format.

October 6, 1990: Transition to 6/53 Matrix

On October 6, 1990, the lottery updated its format, changing the 6/44 game into a 6/53 matrix. This change allowed players two plays for $1 and set the starting jackpot at $5 million.

May 5, 1992: Launch of Buckeye 5

On May 5, 1992, the Ohio Lottery introduced the Buckeye 5 game, which initially featured drawings on Tuesday and Friday nights with a top prize of $100,000.

1992: Powerball Launch

In 1992, the Powerball lottery game was officially launched.

July 1, 1993: Buckeye 5 Schedule Expansion

Effective July 1, 1993, the Buckeye 5 drawing schedule was increased to include Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

September 6, 1996: Launch of The Big Game

On September 6, 1996, six individual state lotteries collaborated to introduce a new multi-state jackpot game initially titled The Big Game.

August 16, 1999: Pick 3 Expansion

The Ohio Lottery's Pick 3 game underwent a structural change on August 16, 1999, by expanding its operation to include twice-daily drawings.

July 8, 2000: Final 6/47 Drawing

On July 8, 2000, the Ohio Lottery held the final drawing for the 6/47 game, which had previously replaced the 6/53 matrix.

July 15, 2000: Introduction of SLP and The Kicker

On July 15, 2000, the Ohio Lottery replaced its 6/47 game with SLP, a new 6/49 lottery format that included a bonus ball and a $4 million starting jackpot, while also introducing The Kicker as an add-on game.

July 2000: The Kicker added to Super Lotto Plus

In July 2000, following the transition of the main game to Super Lotto Plus, The Kicker option was integrated into the new platform.

April 1, 2002: Buckeye 5 Schedule Adjustment

On April 1, 2002, the Ohio Lottery expanded the Buckeye 5 game schedule to a Monday-through-Saturday format.

May 15, 2002: Mega Millions Joins Ohio Lottery

On May 15, 2002, the Ohio Lottery officially incorporated the multi-jurisdictional game known as The Big Game Mega Millions into its lineup of gaming options.

October 2, 2004: Retirement of Buckeye 5

The final drawing for Buckeye 5 took place on October 2, 2004, at which point it was discontinued and subsequently replaced by the Rolling Cash 5 game.

October 4, 2004: Rolling Cash 5 replaces Buckeye 5

On October 4, 2004, the Ohio Lottery replaced its Buckeye 5 game with a new game called Rolling Cash 5, which featured a jackpot prize beginning at $100,000 for matching 5-of-5 numbers.

October 8, 2005: Final SLP Drawing and Kicker Transition

The final drawing for the SLP game occurred on October 8, 2005, after which The Kicker was transitioned to serve as an add-on game for Mega Millions.

October 12, 2005: First Drawing of Lot 'O Play

On October 12, 2005, the Ohio Lottery launched the inaugural drawing for Lot 'O Play, a bingo-themed game featuring a 5/100 format and starting jackpots of $1 million.

October 2005: The Kicker Transitions to Mega Millions Add-on

In October 2005, following the conclusion of the SLP lottery game, The Kicker was repurposed to function as an exclusive add-on for the Mega Millions game specifically for Ohio players.

2005: The Kicker Game Transfer

In 2005, the add-on lottery feature called The Kicker was officially transferred from its association with Super Lotto Plus to the Mega Millions game.

January 20, 2007: Final Drawing of Lot 'O Play

The final drawing for the Lot 'O Play game occurred on January 20, 2007, marking the end of the game's run before it was succeeded by Classic Lotto.

January 22, 2007: Launch of Classic Lotto

On January 22, 2007, the Ohio Lottery launched Classic Lotto, a new game that replaced the previous bingo-style game, Lot 'O Play.

May 20, 2007: Addition of Sunday Drawings

On May 20, 2007, the Ohio Lottery expanded its draw schedule to include Sunday drawings for its games.

August 5, 2007: Launch of Ten-OH! Lottery Game

On August 5, 2007, the Ohio Lottery introduced Ten-OH!, a Keno-style game that marked a historical shift as the first Ohio Lottery game to feature computerized drawings rather than televised ones. Players could win a top prize of $500,000 by successfully matching 10 out of the 20 numbers drawn.

October 2007: Return of the Cash Explosion game show

In October 2007, the Cash Explosion game show made its return to the Ohio Lottery lineup, officially replacing the program titled Make Me Famous, Make Me Rich.

Loading Video...

2008: Introduction of Keno in Bars and Restaurants

In 2008, the Ohio Lottery introduced Keno to bars and restaurants, a move that eventually rendered the 10-OH! game redundant due to overlapping play styles.

October 13, 2009: Cross-sell Agreement

On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and the Multi-State Lottery Association established an agreement to allow for the cross-selling of their respective lottery games across jurisdictions in the United States.

January 31, 2010: Expansion of Lottery Memberships

On January 31, 2010, both the Mega Millions and Powerball games expanded their reach by adding new members to their respective jurisdictions.

April 16, 2010: Ohio Joins Powerball

Ohio, which previously only offered Mega Millions, officially added Powerball to its lottery offerings on April 16, 2010, with the first drawing occurring the following night.

June 2, 2010: First Ohio Powerball Jackpot Win

On June 2, 2010, a ticket purchased in Ohio successfully matched the winning numbers for the Powerball drawing, marking the state's first jackpot victory for the game since the cross-selling expansion. The winning ticket was valued at an annuity amount of $261.6 million.

January 2011: Replacement of The Kicker with Megaplier

By mid-January 2011, the Ohio Lottery discontinued The Kicker add-on and replaced it with the Megaplier option for Mega Millions players, a feature that originated in Texas.

2011: Introduction of Megaplier to Ohio

In 2011, Ohio retired The Kicker add-on game to coincide with the introduction of the Megaplier option, a feature originally exclusive to Texas, for Ohio Mega Millions players.

April 9, 2012: Launch of Keno to Go

On April 9, 2012, the Ohio Lottery expanded its Keno game offerings by launching Keno to Go, which removed the requirement for retailers to hold a liquor license and allowed the game to be played at any Ohio Lottery retailer location.

April 2012: Revival of The Kicker

In April 2012, the Ohio Lottery revived The Kicker as an optional add-on feature for the Classic Lotto game. For an additional $1 fee, players can participate, with top prizes reaching $100,000 for an exact match and smaller prizes available for matching fewer digits.

April 29, 2012: The Kicker added to Classic Lotto

On April 29, 2012, The Kicker, which had been previously retired, was reintroduced as an optional feature for players participating in Classic Lotto.

August 11, 2012: Final Drawing of 10-OH!

On August 11, 2012, the Ohio Lottery held the final drawing for the game 10-OH!, marking the end of its run before being replaced by Pick 5 the next day.

August 12, 2012: Launch of Pick 5 Lottery Game

On August 12, 2012, the Ohio Lottery introduced Pick 5, a new game featuring straight and box wagering options. The game was designed to be played twice daily, following a similar format to the Pick 5 game already established in Pennsylvania.

September 2017: Alternative branding for Cash Explosion

As of September 2017, the show officially adopted the alternative name "C.E." and maintains its status as the singular lottery-based game show in the United States.

2020: Cumulative Education Contribution Milestone

By 2020, the Ohio Lottery reached a significant milestone, having contributed over $26 billion toward public education since its inception.

April 12, 2023: Appointment of Michelle Gillcrist as Interim Director

On April 12, 2023, Governor Mike DeWine officially appointed Michelle Gillcrist to serve as the interim director of the Ohio Lottery.

April 2023: Pat McDonald Resignation Following Harassment Allegations

In April 2023, former Ohio Lottery executive director Pat McDonald stepped down from his position due to medical reasons, a decision that followed closely after he publicly denied allegations of harassment.

Mentioned in this timeline

The United States of America is a federal republic primarily...

Pennsylvania is a U S state located in the Mid-Atlantic...

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of...

Richard Michael DeWine an American politician and attorney is the...

Texas is the second-largest U S state by area and...

Game shows are a form of entertainment where contestants compete...