Maine State Lottery – Maine Lottery

ME Lottery – Lottery Maine

The Maine Lottery was created back in 1974 after a bill was passed the previous year following a referendum which saw the majority of voters in the State of Maine say “Yes” to the authorization of a State Lottery.

The Maine Lottery is operated by the Maine State government who oversee the running and organization of all ME Lottery games. Some of these are Tri State Lottery games run in conjunction with the other New England States of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Right from when the first Maine Lotto ticket was in June 1974 – the aim of the ME Lottery has been to benefit the people of Maine at the same time as providing exciting lottery games that offer affordable entertainment and value to its players.

This is still the case today with Maine State Lottery funds going to the General Fund of Maine State to be distributed to over 250 different programs that benefit the State’s citizens.

The Maine State Lottery is based in Hallowell, ME.

Maine State Lottery – Overview

The Maine State Lottery sells lottery tickets from its network of over 1,400 authorized ME Lottery retailers throughout the state and has its Headquarters at 10 Water Street in Hallowell, Maine.

In addition to its Headquarters in Hallowell – the Maine State Lottery Commission has a main office at 8 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333.

The Maine Lottery also takes part in 2 of the biggest lotteries in the world – the Multi-State USA Lottery games Mega Millions and Powerball – plus the slightly smaller but highly popular Multi-State games of Hot Lotto and Tri State Megabucks PLUS – all of which we will be looking into in much greater depth.

We will be looking at the various Maine Lotto games below – how these games work and who can play them – as well as delving into some of the history of the Maine State Lottery in more detail.

Maine State Lottery – Games

There are numerous games that are offered by the Maine State Lottery including two of the biggest world lotteries – the Powerball and Mega Millions plus the other multi-state USA Lottery games – the popular Hot Lotto and the Tri State Megabucks PLUS from New England.

We will first of all take a look at these multi-state USA Lottery games – that the ME Lottery offers in conjunction with the MUSL – Multi-State Lottery Association, the Mega Millions Consortium and Tri State Lottery Consortium – and later move on to the other ME Lotto games that are available.

Currently the games offered by the Maine State Lottery that it is possible for players to buy lottery tickets online for from anywhere in the world are these two huge USA Lottery games – the Mega Millions and the Powerball – as well as the Hot Lotto and Tri-State Megabucks PLUS.

Other games offered by the Maine Lottery that you can play in-state are noted further down the page – if any of these in-house Maine Lotto games become available to a wider audience at a later date – we will be writing about it here.

Powerball Maine – Maine Powerball

Powerball is a Multi-State USA Lottery that is run & syndicated across the USA by the MUSL – Multi State Lottery Association – and is one of the largest lottery games in the world having produced a record jackpot of an incredible US$ 1.58 BILLION. This sum is the largest lottery jackpot ever won in lottery history to date.

The very first Powerball draw took place on April 22nd 1992 with 16 USA Lottery companies – who were all members of the MUSL – taking part after the game changed its format and name from Lotto America which had first begun on February 13th 1988.

Powerball Maine – Overview

The Maine State Lottery is 1 of 47 US State Lotteries & District Lotteries that offer the Powerball game – in this particular case the Maine Powerball – as part of its overall portfolio of lotto games.

The Maine Powerball was first sold on July 31st 2004 when the Maine State Lottery rejoined the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) after an absence of just over 12 years having originally been an MUSL member since July 18th 1990.

Powerball Maine – How it Works

The Maine State Powerball Lottery works in the same way as the Powerball game works in all the States and Districts in the US that offer the game.

Jackpots start off at US$ 40 MILLION and ROLLOVER after each draw when the top prize is not won – making for some massive jackpot figures.

6 numbers are drawn in total for the Powerball Maine from 2 separate drawing machines – first of all there are 5 numbers drawn from 69 white balls followed by 1 number (the POWERball) from 26 red balls.

Draws for the Maine State Lottery Powerball take place twice every week on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.59pm EST.

In addition to the 6 main Powerball numbers drawn – a further number is drawn – using a Random Number Generator…the Powerball POWERPLAY number…

POWERPLAY…

This separate Powerball POWERPLAY number drawn will be either 2, 3, 4, 5 and occasionally number 10 – and is there to give players of the Maine State Powerball a chance to increase their winnings on all levels of the Powerball prize structure apart from the Maine Powerball jackpot itself.

With Powerball POWER PLAY – you will multiply your winnings on these levels by 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x – greatly increasing the amount you can walk away with.

During special promotions – the Powerball POWER PLAY multiplier will be 10x – allowing Maine State Lottery players to increase their Powerball Maine winnings by 10 times!

So, for just an extra dollar – you can choose to increase your Maine Powerball winnings on all levels except the jackpot – by adding the Power Ball POWER PLAY option when playing.

Click Here to PLAY the Powerball Maine NOW

Maine Powerball Results

With the Powerball Maine being drawn every week on both Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.59pm EST there are various ways you can check the Powerball winning numbers.

You can find the latest Maine Powerball Results at all Maine State Lottery retailers, from ME Lottery terminals, various newspapers all across the State and right here online at Global Lottery Review where you can also check up on any of the previous Maine State Powerball Results.

The Maine State Lottery Powerball results and Powerball winning numbers are also displayed on the official website of Lottery Maine – mainelottery.com – and are broadcast live on the following television channels throughout Maine State…

WABI (CBS) Channel 5 in Bangor
WPFO (FOX) Channel 23 in Portland
WAGM (CBS) Channel 8 in Presque Isle

Powerball Maine – Odds of Winning

There are 9 separate ways that you can win on this Maine State Lottery game providing a great chance to win something on the Maine Powerball.

Odds range from 1 in 292,201,338 for correctly matching all the Maine Powerball winning numbers right down to 1 in 38.32 for matching just 1 number correctly.

Overall odds of winning any prize on the Powerball Maine are just 1 in 24.87.

See the Powerball Odds and Prizes calculation table on the separate Powerball Maine page for a complete list of odds and prizes for this game.

ME Mega Millions – Maine State Mega Millions

The Mega Millions is a Multi-State USA Lottery that is run and operated by the Mega Millions Consortium – who administer and syndicate the game across the USA and is one of the largest lottery games in the world – having produced a massive world record jackpot of an incredible US$ 656 MILLION. This record jackpot was shared between 3 Mega Millions winners from Illinois, Maryland and Kansas and is currently the world's 2nd biggest lottery jackpot to have been won to date.

The very first Mega Millions draw took place on May 17th 2002 with 6 USA Lottery companies taking part who were all members of the Mega Millions Consortium.

The game had changed its name and format from the Big Game which had started on August 31st 1996. Upon this change – 2 further State Lotteries joined and many more were to follow.

ME Mega Millions – Overview

The Maine State Lottery is 1 of 46 US State Lotteries & District Lotteries that offer the highly popular Mega Millions game – in this particular case known as the Maine Mega Millions – as part of its overall portfolio of lottery games.

The Maine Mega Millions lottery was first sold on May 9th 2010 after the Multi State Lottery Association (MUSL) who run the Powerball game – of which the ME Lottery is a member – had entered into a cross-selling agreement with the Mega Millions consortium – allowing the cross-sales of Mega Millions in Powerball states and Powerball in Mega Millions states.

ME Mega Millions – How it Works

The Maine Mega Millions works in exactly the same way as the Mega Millions game works in all the States and Districts in the USA that offer the game.

Jackpots start off at US$ 40 MILLION and ROLLOVER after each draw when the top prize is not won – making for some enormous jackpot figures that can be won on the ME Mega Millions.

6 numbers are drawn in total for the ME Mega Millions – from 2 separate drawing machines – firstly 5 numbers from 70 white balls are drawn and then 1 number (the MEGAball) from 25 gold balls.

Draws for the ME Mega Millions take place twice every week on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11.00pm EST.

In addition to the 6 Mega Millions numbers drawn – a further number is drawn – using a Random Number Generator…the MEGAPLIER number…

MEGAPLIER…

This separate MEGAPLIER multiplier number drawn will be either 2, 3, 4 or 5 – and is there to give players of the Maine Mega Millions lottery a chance to increase their winnings on all levels of the prize structure apart from the Mega Millions jackpot itself.

With Mega Millions MEGAPLIER – you are able to multiply your winnings on these levels by 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x – greatly increasing the amount you can walk away with.

If you match the 5 main Mega Millions numbers playing with the MEGAPLIER add-on – and a MEGAPLIER number of 5 is drawn – the second tier prize of US$ 1 MILLION would be increased by x5 and you could win US$ 5 MILLION.

So, for just an extra dollar – you can choose to increase your ME Mega Millions winnings on all levels except the jackpot – by adding the Mega Millions MEGAPLIER option when playing.

Click Here to PLAY the ME Mega Millions NOW

Maine Mega Millions Results

With the ME Mega Millions being drawn every week on both Tuesdays and Fridays at 11.00pm EST there are numerous ways you can check the Mega Millions winning numbers.

You can find the latest Maine Mega Millions Results from any Maine State Lottery retailer, from ME Lottery terminals, select newspapers and here online at Global Lottery Review where you can also look up previous Maine Mega Millions results.

The Maine State Lottery Mega Millions results and Mega Millions winning numbers will also be shown on mainelottery.com – the Lottery Maine official website and are broadcast live on the following television channels throughout the State of Maine…

WABI (CBS) Channel 5 in Bangor
WPFO (FOX) Channel 23 in Portland
WAGM (CBS) Channel 8 in Presque Isle

ME Mega Millions – Odds of Winning

There are 9 separate ways that you can win on this Maine State Lottery game providing you with a great chance to win something on the Maine Mega Millions.

Odds range from 1 in 302,575,350 for correctly matching all the ME Mega Millions winning numbers right down to 1 in 37 for matching just 1 number correctly.

Overall odds of winning any prize on the ME Mega Millions are just 1 in 24.

See the Mega Millions Odds and Prizes calculation table on the separate Maine Mega Millions lottery page for a complete list of odds and prizes.

Other Maine Lottery Games...

In addition to the Maine Powerball, Mega Millions, Hot Lotto and Tri State Megabucks PLUS games which can be played from anywhere in the world – the ME Lottery also offers various other lotto games which can be played within Maine State itself like – Weekly Grand, Pick 3 and Pick 4 plus numerous MaineLottery Instant Tickets.

If any of these other Maine Lotto games become available to a wider audience outside of Maine at a later date we will write about it here.

Maine State Lottery – Who Can Play?

In the past – you would have had to buy your lottery ticket in the state of Maine itself to take part in any of the Maine State Lottery games – including the Maine Powerball and Maine Mega Millions.

These days though – you are very easily able to play both the Mega Millions Online and the Powerball Online – in addition to the Hot Lotto Online from anywhere in the world due to the presence of accredited and fully authorized online lottery ticket sales companies like TheLotter.com – allowing you to play wherever you’re based.

So if you live outside of Maine or the USA but wish to play either the Powerball or Mega Millions this is simple to do using the right lottery ticket sales companies where you can quickly and easily buy lottery tickets online – and save yourself a fair amount of time too – allowing you to play no matter where you live.

The Maine State Lottery Commission requires that all players are a minimum of 18 years of age before purchasing any ME Lotto tickets including tickets for the ME Mega Millions and Maine Powerball.

Maine State Lottery – How Prizes are Paid

If you have won either a Powerball Maine or ME Mega Millions lottery jackpot – you will be able to claim your prize as either a cash lump sum or as an annuity payment and you will need to make this choice within 60 days of making your claim.

If you choose the annuity option – your winnings will be paid to you annually over a 30 year period for the ME Mega Millions and ME Powerball. All Hot Lotto jackpots are paid as a cash lump sum.

For all ME Lottery online prizes you will have 365 days from the date of the draw to make your claim before your Maine Lotto ticket will expire. For Instant game tickets this will be 365 days from the date the Maine Lottery stopped selling tickets for the game.

You can claim your Maine Lottery winnings either at a Maine State Lottery retailer, or by mailing your ticket with a claim form to the Maine State Lottery Headquarters in Hallowell, ME – or by visiting the MaineLottery Headquarters in person.

These details are all taken care for you if you play lottery online with one of the trusted and genuine online lottery ticket sale companies such as TheLotter as it is their job to make your transaction a seamless process – collecting your winnings and sending them directly to you.

Maine State Lottery Timeline – History

1973

Thoughts of having a lottery in the State of Maine were originally put forward by Waterville Rep.Arthur Genest who sponsors a bill that – if passed – will create a Maine Lottery operation.

The bill is put to the citizens of Maine who vote an overwhelming “Yes” to the creation of a Maine State Lottery.

1974

The first Maine Lottery tickets are sold in June for a weekly draw costing 50 cents called PLAY ME.

The first draw for PLAY ME is held on June 27th with the very first Maine Lottery winner being Ivan Lazure – a mechanic from Lewiston – who wins a US$ 20 Jackpot.

The first Instant ticket to be sold by the Maine Lottery –
THE GREAT OUTDOORS – is put on sale in June.

Also in June – the Maine State Lottery’s inaugural game – PLAY ME – is renamed DOWNEAST SWEEPSTAKES.

1980

The weekly draw game – DOWNEAST SWEEPSTAKES – is discontinued by the Maine State Lottery in January.

The Maine State Lottery introduce an online numbers game – PICK 3 – in June. The game is still going strong today.

1985

The first Multi-State USA Lottery game due to be launched is approved in April – the TRI-STATE LOTTO COMPACT – a collaboration between the Maine Lottery, the Vermont Lottery and the New Hampshire Lottery companies.

July sees the Maine State Lottery introduce it second online numbers game – PICK 4 – again the game is still going strong today.

On September 3rd – tickets for the new Multi-State US Lottery game – the TRI STATE MEGABUCKS – are put on sale marking the beginning of the long-standing collaborative partnership between the Maine State Lottery, Vermont Lottery and New Hampshire Lottery. The TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS will be drawn every Saturday and has a matrix of 6/30.

September 14th sees the first TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS draw – with Richard Campbell from South Portland ME. becoming the first Megabucks winner – scooping US$ 935,919.

1986

The matrix of the TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS is changed from 6/30 to 6/36 in January.

1988

January sees the TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS matrix change again – this time form 6/36 to 6/40.

1990

An extra draw is added to the TRI STATE MEGABUCKS in May – with Maine State Lottery players now being able to play on Wednesdays as well as Saturdays.

On July 18th – the Maine State Lottery becomes the 11th member to join the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and begins selling tickets for its LOTTO AMERICA game which was first drawn back on Feb 13th 1988. Draws for the LOTTO AMERICA are held by the MUSL every Wednesday and Saturday and the game has a matrix of 6/54.

1992

January sees the largest ever TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS win to date – an incredible US$ 16.4 Million jackpot which is split between winners in Maine and Vermont. This still stands as the biggest ever jackpot win in the history of either the TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS or the TRI STATE MEGABUCKS PLUS.

On April 18th – the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) conduct the last draw of the LOTTO AMERICA game.

The following day sees the launch of a bigger and better game from the MUSL – POWERBALL – which replaces LOTTO AMERICA.

The first POWERBALL draw takes place on April 22nd. POWERBALL has a double matrix of 5/45 + 1/45 – costs US$ 1 per play and offers jackpot odds of 1 in 54,979,155. The Maine State Lottery leaves the MUSL at this stage deciding not to offer POWERBALL tickets within Maine but will later elect to rejoin in 2004.

April 19th sees a second Multi-State game offered by the Maine State Lottery in conjunction with the Vermont Lottery and New Hampshire Lottery. The new game – TRI-STATE CASH 5 – is to be drawn each Tuesday evening and has a matrix of 5/35.

A US$ 9,160,000 TRI STATE MEGABUCKS jackpot winning ticket was purchased on July 1st in South Paris. This is the largest MAINE MEGABUCKS jackpot win to date and still ranks as the largest ever win in the history of the MAINE MEGABUCKS.

1994

The Maine State Lottery introduce their first US$ 2 Instant Bingo ticket in January.

1995

June 27th sees the last draw of the TRI-STATE CASH 5 game.

On June 28th – a brand new Tri-State game was introduced – the 5 CARD CASH – replacing the retired TRI-STATE CASH 5. Players from the Maine Lottery, the Vermont Lottery and the New Hampshire Lottery can take part on Tuesdays and Fridays every week.

Also on June 28th – the nightly PICK 3 and PICK 4 become TRI-STATE games with players from Vermont and New Hampshire now also taking part.

1996

The Maine State Lottery introduce the OUTDOOR HERITAGE Instant ticket in January. Profits from the game go towards helping protect the environment of Maine.

Players of the TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS are given the option of taking a cash lump sum if they win the jackpot prize from June.

The first US$ 3 Instant ticket is introduced by the Maine State Lottery in November – called CHRISTMAS BONUS.

1997

TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS players see a game change in March – with the MEGABUCKS now having a matrix of 6/42 plus the addition of a Bonus number.

On September 5th – the TRI-STATE 5 CARD CASH game is retired by the Maine Lottery, Vermont Lottery and New Hampshire Lottery companies.

The following day sees the retired game being replaced by the new game – TRI-STATE WIN CASH – with a new matrix of 6/36 on September 6th.

The Maine State Lottery brings out its first US$ 5 Instant ticket in December – called CELEBRATE ‘98.

1998

From June the Maine State Lottery PICK 3 and PICK 4 games are drawn every night of the week.

September sees Maine Lottery players being given a new option of Front Pair/Back Pair when playing the PICK 3 and PICK 4.

2002

On February 26th – the TRI STATE lottery game – WIN CASH is retired by the Maine State Lottery, Vermont Lottery and New Hampshire Lottery.

CASH LOTTO – a new TRI STATE lottery replaces WIN CASH on February 27th. As with the previous game – draws are held every Tuesday and Friday.

2003

April sees the Maine State Lottery introduce its first ever US$ 10 Instant ticket – called $250,000 CASH SPECTACULAR.

Daily draws are added to the PICK 3 and PICK 4 games on June 23rd – meaning that Maine Lottery players can now play either game twice every day.

November 14th sees the TRI-STATE lottery – CASH LOTTO – being retired by the ME Lottery, VT Lottery and NH Lottery companies.

On November 16th HEADS OR TAILS – a new TRI-STATE game is introduced – which has draws every day of the week.

2004

On July 31st – the Maine State Lottery rejoins the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) – and begins selling tickets for the huge POWERBALL game. ME Lottery players notice some significant changes to POWERBALL which has undergone various alterations since the Maine Lottery left the MUSL back in April 1992. The POWERBALL matrix is now 5/53 + 1/42, a multiplier has been added called POWERPLAY – whereby players can increase their non-jackpot winnings by up to 5 times and a feature called MATCH 5 BONUS has also been added.

2005

The daily TRI-STATE HEADS OR TAILS game is retired on June 25th by the lotteries of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.

June 26th sees the launch of a new replacement TRI-STATE game – the TRIPLE PLAY – which has draws on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The POWERBALL matrix is given another change by the Multi State Lottery Association on August 28th – to 5/55 + 1/42.

The Maine State Lottery introduces its first US$ 20 Instant ticket in September – the $2,500,000 EXTRAVAGANZA.

October sees the first $1,000,000 INSTANT WINNER draw held by the Maine Lottery.

2006

A world record POWERBALL jackpot of US$ 365 Million is won by a group of Nebraska factory workers following the drawing on February 18th. This still stands as the largest lottery jackpot won in the world to date on a single lottery ticket.

May sees the introduction of the TRI-STATE ADD-A-PLAY game – the first online game to have an instant win feature.

2007

On January 12th the TRI-STATE Lottery consortium of the Maine State Lottery – along with the Vermont Lottery and New Hampshire Lottery – retire the TRIPLE PLAY game and replace it with a new TRI-STATE Lottery called PAYCHECK.

In November – the first $20 New Year MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE ticket is introduced by the Maine State Lottery.

2008

April sees the Maine State Lottery draw its Instant Winner game – $2,250,000 EXTRAVAGANZA.

2009

January 4th sees some significant changes to the POWERBALL game – the intention being to create larger jackpot prizes and produce even more winners. Maine Lottery players will now see jackpots starting off at an increased US$ 20 Million. Also a new prize level is created – where players can win US$ 1 Million with the Match 5 BONUS feature using POWERPLAY. The Powerball lottery matrix changes to 5/59 + 1/39 and draws for the Powerball now move to Orlando’s Universal Studios in Florida – with the Florida Lottery joining the MUSL in selling Powerball Tickets.

The TRI-STATE PAYCHECK game is retired by the Maine Lottery, New Hampshire Lottery and vermont Lottery companies on January 30th.

A new TRI-STATE game is introduced in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont on February 3rd – WEEKLY GRAND – which is drawn every Tuesday and Friday at 6.50pm EST and has a top prize of US$ 1,000 a week for 20 years.

The flagship lotto game from Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire – the popular TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS – is give some changes on July 26th and is renamed TRI STATE MEGABUCKS PLUS. Jackpots for the MEGABUCKS PLUS start at US$ 1 Million and the game has a double matrix of 5/41 + 1/6. The revamped MEGABUCKS PLUS also offers bigger 2nd prizes and better odds than its predecessor.

On October 9th an agreement is made between the Mega Millions Consortium and the MUSL – Multi-State Lottery Association – to allow the cross-sales of MEGA MILLIONS tickets within states that offer the POWERBALL game and the sale of POWERBALL tickets within states that offer the MEGA MILLIONS game. The Maine State Lottery will begin selling MEGA MILLIONS Tickets come May.

As an existing member of the Multi-State Lottery Association – the Maine State Lottery starts selling tickets for a second national MUSL game on October 11th – the HOT LOTTO. The HOT LOTTO was originally launched on April 2nd 2002 and has draws every Wednesday and Saturday at 10.59pm EST. The Maine Lottery is the 15th USA Lottery to offer the HOT LOTTO game as part of its portfolio.

October 14th sees the first HOT LOTTO draw take place – with the Maine Lottery as a participating member.

2010

On May 9th the Maine Lottery sells its first lottery tickets for the national MEGA MILLIONS game – as a result of the recently made cross-selling agreement between the Mega Millions Consortium and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) – in October 2009. The Maine State Lottery is now the 40th USA Lottery company to sell MEGA MILLIONS tickets.

August 4th sees the largest TRI STATE MEGABUCKS PLUS win to date. A US$ 12.5 Million jackpot is won in New Hampshire which is the largest prize ever awarded to a single ticket holder in the history of either the TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS PLUS or its predecessor the TRI-STATE MEGABUCKS.

Maine State Lottery – Where the Money Goes

Net proceeds from Maine Lottery games are used to benefit the citizens of the State of Maine in a variety of different ways.

Maine State Lottery profits are sent to the State’s General Fund from where they are distributed to more than 250 different projects that enhance the quality of life for the people of Maine.

One of the principal beneficiaries of Maine Lottery funding is the Maine State’s Outdoor Heritage Fund.

The Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund helps to fund important wildlife and conservation projects throughout the State – conserving both wildlife and open spaces.

In addition to conservation – recreation is promoted too – using Maine State Lottery funding through the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund who also look after important fish and wildlife habitat and endangered species within the State.

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