Rhode Island Lottery Timeline

Constitutional amendment passes by more than a 3 to 1 margin to create a lottery.

Legislation passes to start the Lottery, with the stated purpose of the Rhode Island Lottery revenue being used to make up for the revenue lost from allowing the value of a trade-in automobile toward the sales tax liability on a new automobile.

First ticket for The Lot is sold for 50¢. It's a weekly game with a top prize of $50,000.

Lottery's first drawing for The Lot game is held at the State House.

Chance of a Lifetime Game goes on sale. This weekly draw game features 4 games in one with 24 chances to win various prizes including $500 a month for life.

The Grand Lot game replaces Chance of a Lifetime and features a top prize of $1,000 a month for life. Televised drawings are held weekly.

Rhode Island Lottery creates Lotto specifically for the first televised Lottery Show. Lotto is an action game that combines the excitement of the Lottery with the fun of a TV game show. The top prize is $25,000. Tickets are $1 and drawings are weekly.

The Numbers game begins with live, televised drawings 6 nights a week. Players select a 3 digit number, a bet type (straight, box, front pair or back pair), and how much to wager, either $.50, $1, or $5.

Rhode Island Lottery introduces its first Instant Ticket, Play Ball, for $1.

Lots of Luck game is launched featuring 4 different ways to win up to $50,000. Drawings are weekly and tickets cost $1.

Double Bingo Instant Game launches. Features 2 games -- green and gold -- and costs $1. There is an instant top prize of $20,000 or a ticket can qualify to win $250,000 in the Super Bingo drawing.

Numbers game now draws 4 digits.

The Rhode Island Lottery implements on-line terminal sales of the Numbers game, doubling sales.

The new Grand Lot game goes on sale with a chance to win $20,000. The super drawing is eliminated in favor of more prize money. Purchase price for Grand Lot tickets is 50¢.

Instant Football, the first Instant Game to offer players the chance to win $25,000 instantly, goes on sale.

The Lottery's first lotto-type game, 4/40 JACKPOT, goes on sale. This bi-weekly game has starting jackpots of $10,000 and costs $1 to play. Players may pay an additional $1 for insurance and win prizes for matching 2 or 3 numbers out of the 4 numbers drawn.

4/40 JACKPOT winners, Antonio Carreira (l.) and his wife Natalia of East Providence, win $240,589 - the largest prize amount in the game's history.

The 4/47 JACKPOT game replaces "4/40" JACKPOT and has a starting jackpot of $20,000. Ticket price remains $1, plus another $1 if the player wishes to add the insurance option.  Any jackpot prize of $200,000 or higher is paid as an annuity.

LOT O BUCKS is introduced replacing the 4/47 JACKPOT game. LOT O BUCKS has many similar features as 4/47 JACKPOT, except players pick 5 numbers out of 40, the jackpots start at $30,000, and there are 3 drawings per week.

The LOT O BUCKS billboard on I 95 creates new awareness for the Rhode Island Lottery.

The RI 350 Instant Game is introduced to celebrate Rhode Island's 350th anniversary with a top prize of $35,000. The game helps finance many of the State's celebration activities.

Rhode Island Lottery is a founding member of the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), formed to allow smaller states the ability to offer higher prizes.

Veteran Boston Celtics' sportscaster, Johnny Most, records a radio commercial for the Fast Break Instant Game, basketball-themed game costing $1 with a top prize of $10,000.

Tickets for the MUSL's first game, LOTTO*AMERICA, go on sale for $1, with the chance to win jackpots starting at $2,000,000 paid as an annuity.  Weekly televised drawings hosted by Mike Pace, Iowa television show host, are broadcast live every Saturday.

LOTTO*AMERICA'S first anniversary. Matrix changes to match 6 out of 54 numbers and a second weekly drawing is added.

The Quahogs Instant Ticket, with artwork done by Don Bousquet, Rhode Island cartoonist, goes on sale and sells out in just over 1 month.

The 95 N/S billboards publicizing the Lotto*America jackpots are erected.

Sunday drawings begin for Numbers game.

7-Eleven stores run a second-chance promotion for non-winning Rhode Island Lottery tickets, with the top prize being $10,711.

Powerball® replaces Lotto*America with 15 states selling the game.  Ticket price is $1, with starting jackpots of $2,000,000 paid as an annuity. Drawings are twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday. Players match 5 out of 45 numbers, and 1 out of 45 to win the jackpot.

Legislation passes allowing Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), to be operated by the Lottery, at the state's two pari-mutuel facilities – Lincoln Park (now Twin River) and Newport Jai Alai (now Tiverton Casino Hotel).

The monitor game Keno, with drawings every 5 minutes, is launched.

Joseph Roy, of Cranston, wins "Keno's" grand prize of $100,000, two days after the game launched. He purchased the ticket at Haxton's Liquor on Elmwood Ave., Providence.

VLTs are installed at Lincoln Park (856) and Newport Jai-Alai (436).

Bar coding system is added to Instant Tickets to simplify the validation process for Retailers.

The Lottery's first $2 Instant Ticket, Cash Bingo, goes on sale with a top prize of $1,000.

Rhody Cash game begins, replacing the Lot-O-Bucks game. In Rhody Cash, players pick 5 numbers out of 30 and win $25,000 for matching all 5 numbers. Drawings take place 3 days a week.

Daily Millions, a MUSL game, is launched replacing Rhody Cash with daily drawings for a $1,000,000 top prize. For $1, players receive 6 numbers. Out of 3 sets of colored balls, 2 numbers from 0 to 21 are drawn from each set.

Powerball® starting jackpot changes to $10,000,000. Players can choose either the cash option or annuity payments at the time of purchase.

Roll Down, a Rhode Island only game is launched, replacing Daily Millions. In this game, 4 numbers out of 50 are drawn 3 times a week. Players matching all 4 numbers win the jackpot, but if no one matches all 4 numbers, the jackpot rolls down and is evenly split among players matching 3 out of 4 numbers.

The Lottery's first $5 Instant Ticket, Winter Wonderland, goes on sale with a top prize of $25,000.

The Lottery launches its website www.rilot.com.

Rhode Island Lottery's 25th Anniversary. The $5 25th Anniversary Instant Ticket launches to commemorate the Lottery's 25th year and offers a top prize of $25,000.

Keno drawings are changed from every 5 minutes to every 4 minutes.

Sales begin for Easy Win which replaced Roll Down. Easy Win features 4 out of 50 balls drawn, with a top prize of $25,000. Each $1 ticket has 4 sets of numbers. Players matching all 4 numbers drawn from their first set of numbers wins $25,000. Live drawings happen 3 times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The Lottery's first $3 Instant Ticket, Word Search, is introduced with a top prize of $30,000.

Sales begin for Money Roll game, replacing Easy Win. Drawings occur 3 times a week with 4 out of 39 balls drawn on this $1 game. Players matching 4 out of 4 numbers drawn, win the jackpot. If more than 1 person matches all 4 numbers drawn, the prize is evenly split. Similar to the Roll Down game, if no one matches all 4 numbers drawn, the jackpot rolls down and is evenly split among those players matching 3 out of 4 numbers.

A new multiplier feature, PowerPlay®, is added to the Powerball® game for an additional dollar per wager giving players the chance to multiply their winnings by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times on all non-jackpot prizes.

An ice storm causes the Lottery Headquarters roof to collapse, with everyone getting out safely. Sales were not interrupted, and within 1 day, relocation of offices was complete; and all services were available at temporary Headquarters in the Abacus Building, located at 1210 Pontiac Avenue in Cranston.

A multiplier feature, Keno Plus, is added to the Keno game for an additional dollar per wager. Players can multiply their winnings by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times, to win up to $1,000,000. Before each Keno game, a ball drops down and lands in a slot on a spinning wheel revealing the multiplier or a No Plus for that draw.

The Lottery launches its first $10 Instant Ticket, Rhode Island Holidays, with a top prize of $100,000.

Wild Money game begins, replacing the Money Roll game. Wild Money is introduced as a new jackpot game with jackpots starting at $20,000 and rolling until there is a winner. Wild Money is a $1 game in which 5 out of 35 numbers are selected. Players matching 5 out of 5 numbers drawn win the jackpot. If more than one person matches all 5 numbers drawn, the prize is evenly split. The Lottery also draws an Extra Ball from the remaining 30 numbers to match for additional secondary prizes. Live drawings happen 3 times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

A new feature, Instant Match® is added to the Numbers game for an additional dollar on the wager. The Instant Match feature gives players the chance to win up to $500 instantly on a Daily Numbers ticket. The terminal automatically selects an additional set of numbers, which appear on the ticket below the numbers selected by the player. If any of the numbers selected by the terminal match directly underneath the numbers selected by the player, that's an Instant Match.

Lottery Headquarters officially re-open at 1425 Pontiac Avenue in Cranston.

The Numbers Instant Match, feature is revised to increase ways to win. Players can now win instant prizes by matching their numbers in any order or if a bonus "$" sign appears.

Advance play feature of 30, 60, and 90 days is offered on the Numbers game.

A new monitor game, Hot Trax, is launched with a new race every 4 minutes. Hot Trax combines the excitement of high-speed auto racing with a chance to win a progressive jackpot and other cash prizes. A 60 second "auto race" is shown on dedicated screens. As each car crosses the finish line, its position is recorded and displayed, offering several ways for players to win.

The Lottery launches its first $7 Instant Ticket, Golden 7s, with a top prize of $70,000.

The Lottery Launches a redesigned website and creates a VIP Club for players.

A new monitor game, Rhody Poker, replaces Hot Trax. The card-themed game costs $2 per "hand". Every 4 minutes, 5 community cards are dealt on the monitor, along with the hands of 3 virtual opponents. Players must use the community cards in combination with at least 1 of the 2 Quick Pick cards dealt on their ticket to beat all 3 virtual hands and win.

The Lottery launches its first $20 Instant Ticket, Quarter of a Mil, with a top prize of $250,000.

The first interactive game, SUDOKU, is offered on the Rhode Island Lottery's website as a free online version of the game to play for fun to promote the SUDOKU Instant Game.

A progressive jackpot feature Keno Free Ride is added to the Keno game at no additional cost per wager. The jackpot starts at $1,200 and grows until it is hit. Players who purchase a $2, $5, or $10 Keno ticket, receive a specified set of Quick Pick numbers based on their wager amount. Players who match a set of 8, 7, or 6 Keno Free Ride Quick Pick numbers win the Keno Free Ride Jackpot. If a single Free Ride Jackpot has multiple winners, the jackpot is split equally.

The Lottery moves the filming of its live televised drawings of the Numbers and Wild Money games to a new television studio in Twin River, with WPRI-TV continuing to air the drawings.

The Rhody Poker monitor game ends.

The Lottery launches its first raffle-type game, Million Dollar Raffle. This $20 ticket was on sale for a limited time, with a limited number of tickets available, and the live Grand Drawing taking place on New Year's Eve.

To celebrate the Lottery's 35th Anniversary, a $5 35th Anniversary Instant Ticket goes on sale, with a top prize of $35,000.

The Lottery joins with other MUSL states in selling the Mega Millions®/Megaplier® game. Jackpots start at $12 million.  Tickets cost $1, and players can purchase the Megaplier® for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, or 4.

Keno Free Ride ends.

A new feature, Multi Chance Keno is added to Keno for an additional dollar per wager giving players the chance to win free games with higher prizes paid on those free games.

The Lottery launches a second-chance drawing program on www.rilot.com called Rhody Replay, allowing players to enter non-winning Lottery tickets for prizes.

A revised Powerball®/Power Play® game goes on sale, with a new base wager of $2, higher jackpots, better odds, and the Power Play® feature changing from a multiplier to set prize amounts.

Rhode Island Lottery sells $336 million winning Powerball® ticket, record-highest at the time.

The Lottery, in conjunction with the other New England states, launches a new $2 game, Lucky for Life®, with a top prize of $1,000 a day for life.

New monitor game, Bingo, is introduced with a top prize of $100,000. Players watch Bingo drawings as 30 balls are drawn and land on call numbers. Players then match the call numbers to the numbers on their Bingo board to create Rhode Island Lottery Bingo patterns. A win occurs when some or all of the numbers on a player's Bingo game matches 1 of the Rhode Island Lottery Bingo patterns.

A referendum passes both in the Town of Lincoln and statewide approving adding Table Games in Twin River to be operated by the Lottery. The referendum to allow Table Games at Newport Grand failed in the City of Newport.

Lottery hires more than 30 employees to meet statutory requirements of operating the Table Games.

Live Table Games open at Twin River.

The Lucky for Life® game offers a second lifetime prize of $25,000 a year for life.

The Mega Millions®/Megaplier® game changes, offering a higher starting jackpot of $15,000,000, a $1,000,000 prize for matching 5 numbers, and a new 5X Megaplier® offering a chance to win up to $5,000,000.

The Lottery launches its first $20 Instant Ticket, Million Dollar Scratch, offering a $1,000,000 top prize.

The Power Play® feature on the Powerball® game changes from set prizes and returns to a random multiplier of 2X, 3X, 4X, or 5X.

The Lottery celebrates its 40th Anniversary year, with "Lots to Celebrate", including four 40th Anniversary Instant Games.

Lottery players are able to play their favorite numbers twice a day, with a new Midday Drawing at 1:30 p.m. every day for The Numbers game.

Lucky for Life® game changes offering improved odds and higher low-tier prizes.

Twin River Management Group purchases Newport Grand.

The lottery launches its first official mobile app allowing players to scan tickets from their phone to see if they've won.

The Powerball® Power Play® game is revised to offer better odds of winning. Plus, the prize for matching 4 out of 5 balls and the Powerball® number increased from $10,000 to $50,000. In addition, a 10x Power Play® multiplier will be possible when the advertised annuity jackpot is $150 million or less.

Referendum passes statewide and in Tiverton to approve the construction of a new casino in Tiverton, authorizing the facility to offer state-operated video lottery terminals and state-operated table games.

PlaySpot mobile app launches offering a new way to play. Players can now purchase and play Keno and eInstant games on their mobile devices while at a PlaySpot Retailer location.

Multi Chance Keno ends and Keno Overtime begins. For double the base wager, players get the chance to match an extra set of 10 numbers drawn to win additional prizes.

Newport Grand closes and its gaming license is transferred to Tiverton Casino Hotel.

Tiverton Casino Hotel opens with Video Lottery Terminals and live Table Games.

The Lottery launches a new responsive website, updated VIP Club, Second Chance System and many other new features.

Sports Betting begins at Twin River Casino Hotel, Lincoln, on November 26, 2018 and at Tiverton Casino Hotel, Tiverton, on December 3, 2018.

The Lottery releases mobile Sports Betting.

The Lottery makes Keno and eInstants available to play and win online or on a mobile device while in the state of Rhode Island.

Wild Money game changes to a daily drawing, and a new prize level is added for matching 1 number and the Extra Ball.

Lucky for Life® game begins daily draws.

Powerball® game adds a Monday draw.

Launched  a super-sized ticket, the $10 Super Ticket, at 8”x12” with 4 games in one and 53 chances to win.

Replaced the terminals and auxiliary equipment at all Retailer locations with the newest state-of-the-art models.  

Unveiled a $10 Premier VIP Instant Game linked to the VIP Club with a Second Chance Promotion for the winners to choose their prize from 7 trip options or the cash.

The Lottery launches its first $50 Instant Ticket, $2 Million Royale, with a $2,000,000 top prize.

The Lottery celebrates its 50th Anniversary year with the tag line "A Good Play for 50 Years." A series of 50 Years Instant Tickets go on sale for $2, $5, and $10, along with a 50 Years eInstant.  All the games are eligible for a second chance where a total of five winners drawn have the chance to win up to $1,000,000 at a special “pick til you win” event.

iGaming launches allowing customers to play slots and live table games online.