See up-to-date Wisconsin Lottery COVID-19 Information https://wilottery.com/covid-19
About the Wisconsin Lottery
Since 1988, the Wisconsin Lottery has managed the Lottery fund with the following results*:
Over $8.7 Billion Prizes Paid
(56.8% of revenue)
At least 50% of total revenue must be dedicated to prize winnings.
Over $4.6 Billion Funding for Property Tax Credits
(30.1% of revenue)
This money has been returned to eligible Wisconsin taxpayers.
Over $970 Million Retailer Compensation Paid
(6.3% of revenue)
This money goes to Wisconsin businesses.
Over $1.0 Billion Operational Expenses
(6.7% of revenue)
Includes expenses such as salaries, employee benefits, supplies and services. The Lottery has operated well below the mandated limit of 10%.
Since 1988, the Wisconsin Lottery has generated more than $15.3 Billion in total revenue. Over 93% of that revenue has gone back to winners, retailers and Wisconsin homeowners.
*Figures are from inception through Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. Amounts from FY2019 are preliminary as of December 2019, and subject to change until completion of the audit. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
| Date | Event | ||||||
| September 14, 1988 |
First Wisconsin Lottery games go on sale. |
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| February 25, 1989 | Money Game TV show first broadcast. | ||||||
| August 10, 1989 |
Introduction of first Lotto game. |
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| February 4, 1991 | Introduction of SuperCash! • Daily lotto game |
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| April 19, 1992 |
Introduction of new multi-state game, Powerball®. This replaces Megabucks Lotto *America game. |
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| June 18, 1992 |
Introduction of Wisconsin's Very Own Megabucks. |
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| September 21, 1992 | Introduction of Daily Pick 3 lotto game. |
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| July 7, 1993 | Fond du Lac school teacher Les Robins wins the largest Powerball® jackpot to date: $111 million. • The ticket was purchased at Sentry Foods in Fond Du Lac. The win helps give the reputation of Fond du Lac's "Miracle Mile". |
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| September 18, 1993 | Introduction of new Lotto game, Money Game 4. |  |
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| February 14, 1994 | Introduction of the first Wisconsin Lottery game with a price point above $1. • $5 - "Instant Scratch Bingo" |
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| August 3, 1996 | Money Game 4 lotto game ended. | ||||||
| September 16, 1996 | Introduction of Daily Millions lotto game (no top prize winners). | ||||||
| September 15, 1997 | Introduction of Daily Pick 4 lotto game. |
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| November 5, 1997 |
Powerball® changes |
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| March 29, 1998 | Daily Millions lotto game ends. | ||||||
| March 30, 1998 | Introduction of Cash 4 Life lotto game. • Win $1,000 a week for life. |
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| May 20, 1998 | Wisconsin gets national and international spotlight for selling the winning ticket in a $195 Million Powerball® drawing. Frank and Shirley Capaci of Streamwood, Illinois purchased the ticket from Lakeside Country Store in Pell Lake. | ||||||
| May 3, 1999 | Introduction of Wisconsin's top selling instant scratch ticket, $2 Crossword. | ||||||
| September 7, 2000 | Cash 4 life game ends. There were a total of four winners during the duration of this game. | ||||||
| September 8, 2000 | Introduction of Money Roll lotto game. | ||||||
| March 7, 2001 | "Power Play" multiplier feature is added to Powerball®. • For an extra $1 per play per drawing you can multiply your winnings |
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| March 25, 2002 | Money Roll game ends. There were a total of four winners of $500,000 for the duration of this game. | ||||||
| March 26, 2002 | Introduction of City Picks lotto game. |
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| July 19, 2002 | Introduction of Super Money Game TV Show. |
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| October 9, 2002 | Powerball® changes • Matrix changes to 5 of 53 for the first five balls • Elimination of the 1X multiplier for Power Play • Annuity option changes to 30 payments made over 29 years • A new Powerball® Bonus prize is added. When the jackpot reaches a "new" record amount, the jackpot will be limited to increase no more than $25 million for each drawing. The money collected in excess of the estimated jackpot amount will be placed in the bonus prize pool and will accumulate until there is a jackpot winner. It is then divided equally among all Match 5 winning plays, if there are none then the bonus prize pool will roll down to the match 4+1 prize level. |
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| February 15, 2003 | City Picks game ends. There were a total of sixteen winners of $50,000 for the duration of the game. | ||||||
| February 17, 2003 | Introduction of new lotto game Badger 5. • Wisconsin only game • Jackpots starts at $10,000 • Daily draws |
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| February, 2004 | Wisconsin Lottery offers Player's Club, a way for players to learn new games, limited time offers, special events, winning numbers, and other Lottery news. | ||||||
| August 30, 2004 |
The Lottery goes from using ball machines for the |
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| August 31, 2005 |
Powerball® changes |
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| September 26, 2005 | Introduction of the first $20 scratch ticket, Extreme Cash. | ||||||
| October 4, 2005 | The Lottery adds support for Wisconsin Amber Alerts on retailer game terminals. • Information is posted on Lottery terminals for Child abductions • Amber Alerts go out through the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network |
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| October 23, 2005 | SuperCash! changes. • Matrix changes to 1 of 39 • Doubler feature added to every drawing • Top prize increases to $350,000 |
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| February 5, 2007 | Introduction of the first combo ticket "Cash Bonus Double Play" a combination of scratch and pull-tab. |
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| March 4, 2007 | Introduction of "Million Dollar Draw". • Lotto game that plays like a raffle • Drawing date of May 1, 2007 • Top prize of $1 million |
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| September 14, 2008 | Wisconsin Lottery celebrates its 20th Anniversary. |
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| January 7, 2009 |
Powerball® changes |
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| January 31, 2010 | The Wisconsin Lottery adds Mega Millions which is a multi-state game. |  |
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| April 3, 2011 | Wisconsin's Megabucks changes. • EZ Match added. This is a chance to win instantly |
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| September 2, 2011 | Introduction of the world's first $20 crossword ticket "Supreme Crossword." |
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| January 18, 2012 | Powerball® changes. • Price of a ticket increases to $2 • Starting jackpot increases to $40 million • Matrix changes for the Powerball number to 1 of 35 • Prize for matching 5 of 5 without the Powerball increases from $200,000 to $1 million • Power Play feature discontinued |
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| July 31, 2013 | The Wisconsin Lottery joins Twitter: @wilottery |
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| September 14, 2013 | The Wisconsin Lottery celebrated its 25th Birthday! |
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| October 19, 2013 | The Mega Millions matrix changes for better overall odds and bigger jackpots. |
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| December 9, 2013 | The Wisconsin Lottery launches Facebook page: |
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| January 22, 2014 | Powerball® brings back the random Power Play multiplier. | ||||||
| February 21, 2014 | Introduction of the first $30 ticket, Instant Million, which has 4 instant prizes of $1 million! |
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| April 6, 2014 | Introduction of "5 Card Cash" lotto game with two ways to win. 1. Win instantly at the time of purchase 2. Win in the daily drawing |
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| June 13, 2104 | Wisconsin Lottery makes its first post on Instagram. | ||||||
| August 1, 2014 | The Lottery adds support for Wisconsin Silver Alerts on retailer game terminals. • Information is posted on Lottery terminals for missing adults with Alzheimer's, dementia or other permanent cognitive impairments • Silver Alerts go out through the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network |
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| May 8, 2015 | Lottery offers first $20 oversized instant scratch ticket Super 777. |
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| October 7, 2015 | Powerball® changes • Matrix changes to 5 of 69 for the first five balls + 1 of 26 for the Powerball • Match 4+1 prize increases from $10,000 to $50,000 cash • Power Play includes a 10X multiplier when the advertised jackpot is less than or equal to the Major Jackpot Level. • The Major Jackpot Level will never be less than $150 million. |
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| January 13, 2016 | Powerball® reaches a world record jackpot of $1,586,000,000! Winning tickets sold in California, Florida and Tennessee. | ||||||
| September 12, 2016 | Lottoview screens placed at retail locations. These are the small electronic screens that show information about new games, jackpot amounts, and public service announcements. | ||||||
| October 24, 2016 | New Lottery vending machines (Gemini), featuring lotto quick picks as well as instant scratch tickets, appear at retail locations. | ||||||
| May 14, 2017 | The Wisconsin Lottery officially upgrades its gaming system, and with it comes new lottery terminals. | ||||||
| October 28, 2017 | Mega Millions increases to $2. Starting jackpot increases to $40 million, creating bigger jackpots and better odds of winning $1 million. The Wisconsin Lottery's "10 Buck Luck" combo also launched on this day, where for $10, players would receive a $2 Powerball + $2 Mega Millions + $2 5 Card Cash + $1 SuperCash! + $1 Badger 5 + $1 Megabucks + $.50 Daily Pick 3 (Box) + $.50 Daily Pick 4 (Box). |
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| September 14, 2018 | Wisconsin Lottery celebrates 30 Years of Fun! |  |
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| October 23, 2018 | The largest Mega Millions jackpot, $1.537 billion, was won on by one ticket, sold in South Carolina. This prize, the largest for one set of numbers in world history, was the second largest lottery payout at the time, behind Powerball's $1.586 billion jackpot won on January 13, 2016 by multiple tickets. | ||||||
| March 15, 2019 | The first $30 crossword ticket, "$500,000 Crossword," launches with a (surprise) $500,000 top prize! |  |
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| March 27, 2019 |
$768 million Powerball jackpot, the nation's third-largest lottery jackpot ever at the time, is won in New Berlin, Wisconsin. |
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| April 7, 2019 |
The new $2 lotto game "All or Nothing" launches in Wisconsin, replacing $2 "5 Card Cash." The Wisconsin Lottery's "10 Buck Luck" combo was updated to include All or Nothing on this day. For $10, players receive a $2 Powerball + $2 Mega Millions + $2 All or Nothing + $1 SuperCash! + $1 Badger 5 + $1 Megabucks + $.50 Daily Pick 3 (Box) + $.50 Daily Pick 4 (Box). |
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| June 5, 2019 | The Wisconsin Lottery launches its new website with an updated look and easier navigation. |
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By law the Wisconsin Lottery is audited yearly by the independent Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB). The three most recent financial audits are linked below:
Wisconsin Lottery Fiscal Year 2018-19 Financial Report
Wisconsin Lottery Fiscal Year 2017-18 Financial Report
Wisconsin Lottery Fiscal Year 2016-17 Financial Report
Wisconsin Lottery Fiscal Year 2015-16 Financial Report
Wisconsin Lottery Fiscal Year 2014-15 Financial Report
Wisconsin Lottery Fiscal Year 2013-14 Financial Report