United States Lottery
The first lottery in the United States was held in Jamestown in 1612, and provided half the budget for the town's settlers. George Washington used a lottery to support the Revolutionary Army, and Thomas Jefferson used lotteries to fund public projects.
The first modern state-operated lottery in the United States was authorized in 1964 in New Hampshire. Proceeds went to support education. Today, lotteries are legally operated in 42 states, plus the District of Columbia, and revenues fund a variety of initiatives, including education, transportation, prison construction, economic development, environment and natural resources programs, and senior citizens centers.
As the number of lotteries grew, technology has grown to accommodate the industry's expansion. Players now have a choice of various on-line (computerized) games that process and record plays in seconds or instant ticket games that allow them to determine whether or not they are winners instantly.
On-line games let players pick from a range of numbers, according to the game's format, and play multiple times for one day or to play a certain number of draws in advance. One play usually costs one dollar. Tickets for on-line games are printed by on-line terminals that are connected to a central computer system that also validates tickets as winners or non-winners. Winning numbers for on-line games are chosen in televised drawings and are recorded in the central computer system.
In the last twenty years, instant ticket lotteries were introduced adding new game options. These tickets allow players to scratch a protective coating from a ticket, match the symbols according to the game rules printed on the ticket, and instantly determine if they have won. Instant tickets come in a variety of themes, prizes, colors, shapes and prices.
As the lottery industry continued to grow, multi-jurisdictional alliances were formed. These alliances were designed to offer players an opportunity to win even larger jackpots.
The popularity of lotteries is growing all over the world. The United States remains the largest country of lotteries.
States with Lottery
The following are the states that has lottery: