Arizona Lottery
The Arizona Lottery is run by the government of Arizona. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). Its games include Powerball, Mega Millions, Fantasy 5, Pick 3, Weekly Winnings (which began on September 23, 2012, replacing CA$H4; see below), 2by2 (Arizona's version is different than that of MUSL's game) and The Pick. The Arizona Lottery is widely known as the only state lottery to offer a jackpot consisting entirely of sand.[citation needed]
The goal of the Lottery, as declared in its mission statement, is to support Arizona programs for the public benefit by maximizing revenue in a responsible manner.[1] Arizona became the first state west of the Mississippi to approve a lottery when the statewide public initiative passed in November 1980.[1] While the original referendum passed by a slim margin, the adult public has been increasingly supportive.[1] In 2002, a vote to extend the lottery for another 10 years was passed, with 73% in favor.[1] In 2010, the Lottery was extended into 2035.[1]
Initially, only scratch games were offered. Its first major prize was $1,000 per year for life; out of 9,000 non-winning tickets in a second-chance pool, 5 semifinalists were chosen, with a Tucson-based roofing company owner winning the top prize.[2]
The revenues produced by the Lottery, over $175 million in fiscal year 2014, are used to help fund four different public programs.[1] The first area of funding is the Economic and Business Development Division.[1] In 2014, the Lottery gave $14,762,600 to help fund grants expanding and maintaining Arizona businesses as well as attracting new businesses to promote economic development.[1] The second division that receives Lottery funding is Education which received $84,671,431 in 2014.[1] Additionally, $10,445,200 in funding went towards Environmental issues promoting initiatives for increased public access, environmental education, outdoor classrooms, and the protection and management of urban wildlife.[1] The final division receiving Lottery funds is Health and Public Welfare.[1] It received $65,741,421 in 2014, with $1 million going to homeless transitional shelters, $17 million to Healthy Arizona, and $300,000 to Problem Gambling.
The court-appointed Special Advocate Program receives 30% of unclaimed prize money.[1]
Arizona requires lottery players to be at least 21; the minimum age was 18 until June 1, 2003.
Contents
Pick 3
Pick 3 is drawn Mondays through Saturdays. The prize for an exact match (Straight) is $250 on a 50-cent wager, or $500 on a $1 wager. its
Fantasy 5
Fantasy 5 is also drawn six nights a week. It draws 5 of 41 numbers. Its minimum jackpot is $50,000, increasing until there is a 5-of-5 winner. Games are $1. Fantasy 5 has an add-on game, EXTRA!.
Weekly Winnings (began September 23, 2012)
Weekly Winnings, a $2-per-play game, has a top prize of $1,000-per-week for 52 weeks; winners can choose a lump sum of $52,000 instead. Weekly Winnings′ advertised payouts are "taxes paid"; the actual prize (for tax purposes) for the chosen payout is larger. Therefore, the advertised payouts are "net" winnings, rather than "gross." Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays.
Players get six sets of numbers for each $2 play. Bettors choose 4 numbers out of 50 in the "$1,000-per-week" set (or ask for terminal-generated numbers.) The terminal automatically chooses two sets of numbers for the $10,000 prize, and three sets for the $1,000 prize. Matching all four numbers wins the top prize depending on which set of numbers was matched. Matching three numbers wins $50; two numbers, $2. Players can win multiple times in a $2 play.
2by2
2by2 is also drawn Monday through Saturday; it has a $20,000 top prize. Games cost $2. (Arizona's 2by2 is not part of the MUSL-sponsored 2by2 offered in Kansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota.)
The Pick
The Pick is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. Games are $1. Jackpots begin at $1 million. Its players can add EXTRA!. The Pick draws 6 of 44 numbers.
Powerball (multi-lottery game)
Since 1994, Arizona has been a member of MUSL. Powerball is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. The price for a game is $2 (with Power Play, $3.) Starting jackpot is $40 million (annuitized with cash option.) Second prize is $1 million cash ($2 million cash if Power Play selected.) The PowerPlay option is a multiplier.[3]
Mega Millions (multi-lottery game)
On October 13, 2009, the Mega Millions consortium and MUSL reached an agreement in principle to cross-sell Mega Millions and Powerball in US lottery jurisdictions. Most lotteries with either game began selling tickets for both on January 31, 2010. Arizona joined Mega Millions on April 18, 2010. For an extra $1 the winnings may be multiplied by up to 5 with the Megaplier option.
Millionaire Raffle
Arizona has held six Millionaire Raffle drawings. Tickets cost $20 each. These tickets are printed in ascending order. Sales end when a pre-determined number of tickets are purchased (total 300,000) or sold out before the end date. Numbers are randomly drawn, with one or two (depending on the raffle) winning $1 million. Each raffle has over 1,100 winners; the minimum prize is $500. The most recent Raffle was held January 6, 2012.[4]
