FAQ

Yes. All profits – 100% – go to Missouri public education. Annual Lottery proceeds make up approximately 3-4% of the state's funding for public education. You can see a full list of the programs that benefited from Lottery funds in your own community by visiting our Education Map and clicking on your county.

Our Winner Map shows the selling locations of winning tickets worth $1,000 or more, for both Draw Games and Scratchers. The map covers winning tickets for the previous month.

No. The Missouri Lottery does not currently offer sales via the Internet.

Yes. There are no Missouri laws or Lottery policies that prevent the purchase of Lottery products at the counter using debit or credit. The Lottery leaves that up to the discretion of our retail partners. Each retail location is given the freedom to accept (or not accept) debit or credit cards for Lottery purchases, based on their own business goals and guidelines. When in doubt, ask the clerk. In addition, hundreds of Lottery vending machines have been equipped to handle cashless transactions..

When a winner receiving annuity payments dies, the Missouri Lottery continues to make payments to the winner's estate.

No. Players can purchase Missouri Lottery tickets from a licensed Missouri Lottery retailer. The Lottery cannot mail tickets across state lines.

Riverboat gambling and bingo games are NOT a part of the Missouri Lottery. They are governed by the Missouri Gaming Commission.

The average player is a 47.6-year-old caucasian employed female that is a high school graduate with some college education.

Studies show that about 1 to 5 percent of those who gamble through any means experience problems. For more information, see Responsible Gaming.

Only businesses located within the state of Missouri can be Missouri Lottery retailers. For more information, see the Lottery's Retailer Portal.

You can find complete lists of past numbers drawn in the Winning Numbers section. More recent winning numbers can also be found on the Lottery's mobile app.

The lump-sum payment is approximately half of the advertised amount since the Lottery will be giving you the money it would have invested over 25 years for a Lotto jackpot, or 29 years for a Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot. For more information, see If You Win a Jackpot.

No. Each drawing machine is self-contained and independent of any other system. For more information, see Game Security.

Actually, Missouri is quite a lucky state! Out of the 48 lotteries participating in the Powerball game, Missouri ranks second behind Indiana in the number of Powerball jackpot winners.

Yes. When a group wins, the person who signs the ticket typically designates who will receive a portion of the prize and how much that person should receive. For more information, see If You Win a Jackpot.

Tickets cannot be purchased during draw breaks. Draw breaks are as follows:

Pick 3 and Pick 4

        MIDDAY: 12:45 p.m. to 12:59 p.m., daily

        EVENING: 8:59 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., daily
 

        Lotto

        8:59 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., Wednesday and Saturday
 

        Show Me Cash

        8:59 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., daily
        2 a.m. to 5 a.m., daily
 

        Powerball

        8:59 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
 

        Mega Millions

        8:59 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday and Friday

        Cash4Life

        7:45 p.m. to 8 p.m., daily

No. Players must redeem their prizes in the same state they bought the tickets. Because there are so many participating lotteries, all tickets and playslips must be identified by the state that sold the ticket so the prize can be claimed and paid properly.

No. No matter how many people play these games, the chances of winning never change. The chances are based on the amount of number combinations, not the number of players.

Yes. Quick Pick tickets are generated randomly by the terminal at the retailer, and there is no central computer that is controlling ticket generation. The chances of buying a Draw Game ticket with the same numbers as someone else are the same as the chances of winning the jackpot.

By law, the Missouri Lottery may not publish names of Lottery winners without prior consent.

Powerball is played in Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

NOTE: All Powerball tickets are identified by the state that sold the ticket and must be redeemed in the state where they were purchased.

Mega Millions is played in Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

NOTE: All Mega Millions tickets are identified by the state that sold the ticket and must be redeemed in the state where they were purchased.

Cash4Life is currently played in 10 jurisdictions: Missouri, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.

NOTE: All Cash4Life tickets are identified by the state that sold the ticket and must be redeemed in the state where they were purchased.

News releases with the selling location of prize winners of $50,000 or more are sent to media throughout the state. The selling location of all winning tickets worth $1,000 or more are featured on our Winners Page each month.

No. Thanks to strict security measures, no one — including Missouri Lottery employees — knows where winning Scratchers tickets are located. For more information, see Game Security.

No. Actually, the chances of winning Scratchers games continue to improve. In the Lottery's early days, the games only paid out 45 percent of sales in prizes, the maximum amount allowed by law at the time. Now Scratchers games pay out an average of about 70 percent of sales in prizes, and an average of approximately 1 in every 4 tickets is a winner.