Download the 2009 Annual Report for the Ohio Lottery Commission - CLICK HERE

Approved by voters in 1973, the Ohio Lottery began operating in 1974.
Through more than 10,000 retail agents, Ohioans wager an average of about $200 per capita yearly on the lottery's instant scratch-off games, online games, Pick 3, Pick 4, Buckeye 5, and the six-number Super Lotto.
Ohio's lottery ranks among the top five in the US in both per capita instant game sales and for total lottery sales.
All profits from the lottery -- roughly a third of sales -- go to the Lottery Profits For Education Fund, which constitutes 7-8% of the state's education budget.

Major National Lottery Selects Convergys Solutions to Manage Agents & Launch New Games
CINCINNATI, Ohio (August 19, 2010) -- Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), a global leader in relationship management, announced today that a top European national lottery has signed a multi-year licensing, support, and maintenance contract to implement Convergys Smart BSS Solutions, including Convergys Rating and Billing Manager, to support its dealer billing and commissioning.......Subscribers

Columbus Blue Jackets, Ohio Lottery Announce Renewal of Corporate Partnership
COLUMBUS, Ohio (August 16, 2010) - The Columbus Blue Jackets announced August 16, that the hockey club has renewed its corporate partnership with Ohio Lottery, a team partner since the 2002-03 season...............Subscribers

Draft of Controversial Performance Audit Confirms Lottery is Performing Well
CLEVELAND, Ohio (August 13, 2010) - Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor has found little to complain about at the Ohio Lottery Commission, according to a draft of her performance audit of the $2.4 billion agency.......Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Commission Takes First Step Toward Race Track Slots
COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 19, 2010) -- Ohio's Lottery Commission takes its first step in placing up to 17,500 video lottery terminals (VLTs) at the state's seven horse tracks, including the track at Lebanon.........Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Takes Steps Toward VLTs
CLEVELAND, Ohio (July 14, 2010) - The Ohio Lottery Commission, as soon as this coming Monday (July 19), will announce rules for the installation of video lottery terminals (VLTs) at the state's racetracks........Subscribers

Ohio Lottery & INTRALOT Partnership Yields Record Sales
ATHENS, Greece (July 5, 2010) - After a successful conversion to the INTRALOT system one year ago, the Ohio Lottery has posted a record sales year of $2.48 billion for the fiscal year 2010, a total that exceeds the previous year’s sales by nearly $70 million.......Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Posts Record Sales Year
 CLEVELAND, Ohio (July 1, 2010) - The Ohio Lottery is proud to announce a record sales year of $2.48 billion for the fiscal year 2010, a total that exceeds the previous year’s sales by nearly $70 million. The increase in sales is due in part to a full year’s worth of Keno sales and the addition of a second multi-state jackpot game, Powerball, to its game mix..........Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Retailer Caught in Sting
Ravenna man tried to cash a $6,000 ticket he told an undercover agent was not a winner
CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 30, 2010) – According to local radio news, a Ravenna store owner has been arrested for stealing from the Ohio Lottery............Subscribers

Chrysler Workers Claim Ohio’s Second Powerball Jackpot
TOLEDO, Ohio (June 28, 2010) – A pool of 14 workers from a Chrysler plant paint shop in Detroit have hit the jackpot, holding one of two jackpot-winning tickets for the $97 million Powerball drawing held June 23............Subscribers

New Ohio Racetrack Owners Very Confident of Winning Approval for Video Lottery Terminals
CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 23, 2010) - The Ohio State Racing Commission approved the sales of Thistledown to Harrah's Entertainment and Beulah Park to Penn National Gaming Inc. at its monthly meeting Wednesday in Columbus..............Subscribers

Research Reveals a Slight Decline in the Number of People Who Would Continue to Work After Winning the Lottery
TOLEDO, Ohio (June 23, 2010) - According to a recent survey of analyzed data for the last 30 years and found a slight decline in the percentage of people who said they would keep working if they won the lottery............Subscribers

Governor Challenges Auditor to Set Date for Release of Ohio Lottery Audit
Ohio (June 24, 2010) – Governor Ted Strickland said Auditor Mary Taylor should explain why she is delaying the release of a performance audit of the Lottery Commission........Subscribers.

Speculation That Politics is at Play in Lottery Commission’s Performance Audit
CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 23, 2010) -- It was reported today that Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor has delayed the release of her performance audit of the Lottery Commission..........Subscribers

Governor Wants to Change Gambling Tax Deduction Provision in Ohio Casino Control Commission Bill
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 15, 2010) -- The Columbus Dispatch reports Governor Ted Strickland signed legislation last week creating the Ohio Casino Control Commission but blasted a provision in the bill allowing bettors to write off gambling losses..............Subscribers

Amendment Allows Non-Profits to Keep Poker Nights, Bingo, Festival Gambling
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 13, 2010) -- According to local media reports state legislators added wording to a casino bill signed by Governor Ted Strickland on Thursday that allows churches and non-profit organizations to continue.............Subscribers

Ohio Powerball Winner Scores $261.6 Million Jackpot
GASTONIA, North Carolina (June 3, 2010) – The Gaston Gazette has reported that a ticket sold in Ohio for the Powerball game Wednesday night matched all six numbers drawn...............Subscribers

Former Retailer Employee Receives Prison Sentence For Stealing Lottery Tickets
WESTWOOD, Ohio (June 1, 2010) - Local broadcast station reported that a former lottery retailer employee will go to prison for five years after participating in a lottery scam.........Subscribers

Local Studio Is Host For Lottery 'Cash Explosion' Game
HILLIARD, Ohio (May 26, 2010) - The Ohio Lottery's popular "Cash Explosion Double Play" game show is taped locally at Mills James Productions............Subscribers

Store Rebuilds Reputation After Clerk Accused of Stealing Customers' Lottery Winnings
COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 21, 2010) - A downtown Columbus convenience store is trying to rebuild its credibility with customers, two weeks after prosecutors charged a store clerk with theft and fraud for stealing customers' lottery winnings.................Subscribers

Employee Allegedly Stole $530K in Lottery Tickets
CINCINNATI, Ohio (May 11, 2010) - A Kroger customer service employee whose position included the job of refilling the lottery scratch-off ticket machine inside the company's Westwood store, reportedly stated in court that if any tickets were left over, she'd just stick them in her pocket................Subscribers

Summit May Vote on Gaming Legislation
OHIO (May 9, 2010) – Reports Summit County Council is expected to vote Monday on legislation to provide more oversight of Internet cafes, sweepstakes parlors and skill arcades in the county's nine townships.............Subscribers

Lottery Security Program Results in Arrest of Store Clerk
 COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 5, 2010) -- To uphold its stated vision that reads, in part, “being the most respected lottery in America because of our integrity,” the Ohio Lottery’s Office of Security announced the first arrest in the Lottery’s new Retailer Compliance Inspection Program..............Subscribers

Ohio Bill Would Privatize Lottery
CLEVELAND, Ohio (May 4, 2010) -- Senator Kevin Coughlin is the sponsor of a bill that would allow the state to privatize the Ohio Lottery...............Subscribers

Ohio Prepares to Join Powerball
COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 13, 2010) - Tickets go on sale Friday at all of the Ohio Lottery's 8,800 retailers. The first drawing is scheduled for Saturday. The Ohio Lottery already offers another multistate game, Mega Millions.................Subscribers

Powerball Sales; Game Starts in Ohio April 16
CLEVELAND, Ohio (April 9, 2010) - Starting next Friday, Ohio Lottery customers will have their first chance to play Powerball at any one of Ohio’s 8,800 licensed Lottery retailers.  By its entrance, Ohio joins 41 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands in offering the multi-million dollar, multi-state game................................ Subscribers

Keno Sales Reported On Rise
3 of past 4 Weeks Were The Game’s Most Profitable
Columbus, Ohio (March 9, 2010) -- It was reported the Ohio Lottery Director said yesterday that the Lottery's KENO game is finally edging closer to profit projections after lagging far behind expectations for a year and a half..........................Subscribers

Ohio Grocery Worker Charged in $100K Lottery Theft
CINCINNATI, Ohio (March 5, 2010) - An employee at a Kroger grocery store in Ohio has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 worth of lottery tickets...................Subscribers

Dirico Motorcycles and Aerosmith Hit the Lottery
NEW HAMPSHIRE (February 16, 2010) -- New Hampshire-based Dirico Motorcycles has hit the lottery. No, they didn’t pick the six magical digits to riches, but Dirico has been contracted by GTECH to build three of its Pro-Street motorcycles with an Aerosmith “Dream On” theme for the Ohio Lottery who has an Aerosmith promotion in the works.........................Subscribers

Governor Says Now is Not the Time to Privatize Lottery
COLUMBUS, Ohio (February 13, 2010) - A state senator's suggestion that Ohio privatize the state lottery might be a good idea, but the time isn't right, Reports Governor Ted Strickland................Subscribers

Ohio Lawmakers Consider Privatizing Lottery System
COLUMBUS, Ohio (February 6, 2010) – According to a local TV station Ohio lawmakers are talking about a proposal to privatize the state lottery system and put the money toward scholarships......................Subscribers

Lottery and Gambling Winnings Now Subject to City Tax
HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (February 3, 2010) - Changes made to the Huber Heights Codified Ordinance, Chapter 191 include adding gambling and lottery winnings to the list of taxable items.............Subscribers

Resolution Introduced to Further Legislation Allowing Ohio Lottery to be Privately Operated
COLUMBUS, Ohio (January 21, 2010) – According to one of the state’s leading newspapers a resolution was introduced in the Ohio General Assembly last week to allow the Ohio Lottery to be operated privately - which is currently prevented by the state Constitution.......................Subscribers

Keno is About to Get a Boost
COLUMBUS, Ohio (January 19, 2010) -- News reports Keno is about to get a boost. According to the newspaper despite objections from Republicans, the Ohio Lottery Commission got approval from a spending oversight panel last week for a $900,000 contract with a Georgia-based company....................Subscribers

Ohio, Michigan Lotteries to Add Powerball Game
CLEVELAND, Ohio (January 16, 2010) - The Ohio Lottery announced last week that it is moving to offer a second multistate game with the potential to win multimillion-dollar jackpots........................Subscribers

Request To Sell Powerball
CLEVELAND, Ohio (January 14, 2010) - The Ohio Lottery announced today that it will move forward with its plans to sell the multi-state jackpot game, Powerball.....................Subscribers

Senator Introduces Bill That Would Sell or Lease the Ohio Lottery
COLUMBUS, Ohio (January 14, 2010) – A leading Ohio newspaper today reported a state senator has proposed privatizing its state lottery and turnpike and apply the proceeds toward scholarships totaling $7,000 per eligible student....................Subscribers

New Year’s Raffle Drawing Held Today
Four $1-Million Top Prizes Among Total Prizes Drawn
CLEVELAND, Ohio (January 2, 2010) -- Four lucky ticket holders from the communities of Bexley, Columbus, Massillon and Ravenna are now $1 million richer after purchasing a ticket in the Ohio Lottery’s New Year’s Raffle.  The Ohio Lottery held the drawing this afternoon after wagering pools .....................Subscribers

Weather-Related Problems Knocks Ohio Lottery Retailers Off-Line
CLEVELAND, Ohio (December 31, 2009) – A leading Ohio newspaper reported today that a storm front moving across the Buckeye State disrupted the Lottery Commission's satellite communication on Thursday morning......................Subscribers

Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor to Begin Review of Ohio Lottery Commission Next Week
CLEVELAND, Ohio (December 29, 2009) -- Local media source reported todat that State Auditor Mary Taylor officially begins her review of the Ohio Lottery Commission next week....................Subscribers

Census Lists Top Performing States In Generating Money From the Lottery
CLEVELAND, Ohio (December 28, 2009) - Ohio ranks 12th nationally with $675 million in lottery proceeds, after paying out $1.4 billion in prizes and $109 million in administrative expenses...................Subscribers

Slots Foes Finishing Signature Effort Ballot Attempt
COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 17, 2009) -  Opponents of slot machines at Ohio racetracks will submit signatures to the secretary of state on Sunday in hope of placing the issue on the November 2010 ballot.....................Subscribers

Company Dismisses Any Lottery Similarities with Phone-Card Game
COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 16, 2009) - Even as authorities work to shut down computer-based Sweepstakes gambling machines in Ohio, a Florida company is trying to sell Ohio retailers on the concept of scratch-off phone cards that operate on the same principle...................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Honors Teachers of the Month
CLEVELAND, Ohio (December 11, 2009) - The Cleveland Browns and the Ohio Lottery honoured Despina Vonortas, a First grade teacher at Middle Branch Elementary School in Stark County, and Christina Bright................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Honors Academic All Star
CLEVELAND, Ohio (December 7, 2009) - The Cleveland Browns and the Ohio Lottery welcomed Todd Gasior, a 12th grade student at Hubbard High School, to Sunday's game. Gasior was recognized as a recent Ohio Lottery Academic All Star...................Subscribers

Lottery Opposes State Audit
Ohio Lottery Tells State Auditor Mary Taylor She's Wrong to Demand Performance Audit
CLEVELAND, Ohio (November 23, 2009) - The Ohio Lottery Commission has formally rejected State Auditor Mary Taylor's decision to launch a performance audit of the $2.3 billion agency without its blessing.....................Subscribers

Ohio Auditor Initiates Review of State Lottery Commission
CLEVELAND, Ohio (November 21, 2009) – A leading Ohio newspaper reported today that the state director of audit services and technology personally delivered a letter to Lottery Director Kathleen Burke, demanding an audit of the $3.2 billion agency after it is reported to have rebuffed earlier requests to open its doors.......................Subscribers

Allegation That New Lottery Chief Had Been Courted For Post
COLUMBUS, Ohio (September 29, 2009) - A leading Ohio newspaper claims that nearly three weeks before former state Lottery Director Michael Dolan resigned, top aides to Governor Strickland were negotiating to hire the woman who replaced him...................Subscribers

Ohio Residents Continue Strong Support for Casinos
CLEVLAND, Ohio (September 27, 2009) -- Poll numbers in Ohio show that residents support the freedom to choose to partake of casino gambling, even if they don't expect to do so themselves......................Subscribers

Bengals Prizes Up For Grabs in Ohio Lottery Second-Chance Drawing
CINCINNATI, Ohio (September 22, 2009) -- This Friday (Sept. 25) marks the entry deadline for the Ohio Lottery's $5 Cincinnati Bengals Instant Game second-chance drawing...................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Launches Cincinnati Bengals® Instant Game
CINCINNATI, Ohio (September 1, 2009) -- Debuting this week at retailers in Ohio is the Ohio Lottery's $5 Cincinnati Bengals® Instant Game................Subscribers

New Ohio Lottery Game Debuts This Week
COLUMBUS, Ohio (September 1, 2009) - Debuting this week at retailers in Ohio is the Ohio Lottery's $5 Cleveland Browns instant game. This game provides instant cash prizes from $5 up to the top prize of $100,000...............Subscribers

Glitch Halts Some Lottery Sales
CINCINNATI, Ohio (August 25, 2009) – A hardware failure in a cell tower reportedly knocked out lottery selling terminals Across Southwest Ohio on the giggest selling day for Mega Million tickets........................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Reports Record Sales
COLUMBUS, Ohio (August 19, 2009) -- The Ohio Lottery is one of the few places where the state has been making more money amid the recession.....................Subscribers

Revenue from New Ohio Lottery Game Comes Up Short
Keno Not Bringing In As Much As Expected
COLUMBUS, Ohio (August 14, 2009) -- According to news sources, the Ohio Lottery says its Keno game fell far short of revenue projects in its first full year....................Subscribers

Strickland Names New Ohio Lottery Director
Strickland announces the appointment of Kathleen Burke as the Ohio Lottery Commission executive director
COLUMBUS, Ohio (August 10, 2009) - Ohio Governor Ted Strickland named Kathleen Burke as the Ohio Lottery Commission executive director Monday.......................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Unveils Browns-Themed Scratch-Off Game
CLEVLAND, Ohio (August 4, 2009) -- The Ohio Lottery Commission is rolling out a Browns-branded instant-win game in time for the season. The $5 scratch-off tickets offer a top instant prize of $100,000. That jackpot is officially a 1.5 million-to-1 shot, but the games offer a host of prizes down to $5.....................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Director Steps Down
COLUMBUS, Ohio (August 4, 2009) - Ohio's lottery director resigned Tuesday from a rocky tenure serving in Governor Ted Strickland's cabinet, as the state tries to expand the lottery to include video slot machines at horse racing tracks.......................Subscribers

Bengals To Debut Instant Lottery Game
CINCINNATI, Ohio (July 29, 2009) - The Ohio Lottery will debut a $5 Cincinnati Bengals® instant game in late August. Top prize is $100,000, and the game will offer a wide array of merchandise and experiential prizes, such as, game-worn jerseys, autographed footballs, pregame sideline access, football road trips, dinners on the field, 2010 season tickets and more.................Subscribers

Bengals Scratch-Offs
A Bengals instant game could be coming to an Ohio Lottery vendor near you soon
CINCINNATI, Ohio (July 21, 2009) -- The Ohio Lottery Commission approved instant games for both the Bengals and Cleveland Browns during Tuesday's meeting in Columbus.............Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Commission Reports Record Sales For 2009
CLEVELAND, Ohio (July 21, 2009) - The Ohio Lottery Commission had a record year in 2009, selling $2.42 billion worth of tickets to such games as Pick 3 and Mega Millions.............Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Officials to Discuss VLTs with Counterparts in West Virginia
COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 16, 2009) -- Half a dozen Ohio Lottery Commission officials are heading to West Virginia today as part of the effort to figure out how to bring slots to Ohio’s seven horse tracks.................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Sales Jump With New Vendor
First day on-line sales total more than $3 million
On-line sales tracked 30 percent above same period last week
COLUMBUS, Ohio (July 2, 2009) -- INTRALOT, the new vendor for the Ohio Lottery went live today with the system conversion involving more than 8,700 terminals in retail locations throughout the state. INTRALOT, with U.S. headquarters based in Duluth, GA, has successfully completed its one-year conversion contract after the company was chosen last June to operate the State's On-Line lottery games. On the first day with the new vendor, on-line sales totaled more than 3 million dollars......................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Switches To New Operator INTRALOT
INTRALOT Takes Over Operation of Ohio Games
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio (June 30, 2009) - At 11:59 p.m. today, in an office park in Strongsville, state officials and computer technicians, some from Greece, will change how Ohioans get their lottery tickets.........................Subscribers

Lawmaker Proposes Sale of Ohio Lottery
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 23, 2009) – A state lawmaker has proposed selling or leasing the Ohio Lottery to generate funding for college scholarships....................Subscribers

Keno Boosts Lottery Revenue For Year
CANTON, Ohio (June 21, 2009) – According to local media reports the Ohio Lottery Finance Director Dennis Berg says the economic downturn didn’t have much effect on sales during the fiscal year that ends June 30....................Subscribers

Governor Backs Slot Machines to Avoid Big Cuts
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 19, 2009) --After years of opposition to the expansion of gambling, Governor Ted Strickland on Friday announced a plan for slot machines at seven horse racing tracks as a way to help balance the state budget.......................Subscribers

State Lottery Stops Giving Promotional Lotto Tickets To Public Officials
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 8, 2009) -- State lottery officials have agreed to stop handing out promotional lottery tickets to public officials................Subscribers

Bengals Looking At Lottery Revenue As Well
CINCINNATI, Ohio (May 31, 2009) -- The Bengals are discussing a team-themed lottery ticket with the state of Ohio...................Subscribers

Panel Approves New Vendor to Operate Lottery Games
COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 1, 2009) - A panel of state lawmakers has agreed to let the Ohio Lottery Commission hire a new company to run its games.....................Subscribers

Lottery Rolls Dice on Cincinnati-based Ad Agency
CLEVELAND, Ohio (May 18, 2009) - According to a local news report the Ohio Lottery is betting on Northlich, a Cincinnati-based ad agency, to boost its sales................Subscribers

Hart Associates Selected for Ohio Lottery Work
Toledo, Ohio (April 23, 2009) -- Hart Associates of Maumee was selected by the Ohio Lottery Commission to be among three integrated marketing firms that will provide creative work for its statewide advertising campaigns......................Subscribers

Governor Suspends Use of Promotional Lottery Tickets in Response to Inspector General Report
COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 21, 2009) -- Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today released the following statement regarding the inspector general’s report on the use of promotional lottery tickets by the Ohio Lottery Commission and Executive Director Michael Dolan:..................Subscribers

Lottery Gets OK to Pay More for Consultants
COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 21, 2009) -- The Ohio Lottery Commission's director narrowly won approval yesterday to quadruple the cost of consultants to help the lottery switch to a new games operator.................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery Commission Names Northlich Lead Advertising Agency
CINCINNATI, Ohio ( April 17, 2009) -- Northlich announced today that it has been selected as the lead agency of record for the Ohio Lottery Commission’s (OLC) advertising and creative assignments..............Subscribers

INTRALOT Wins Another Contract In The USA for The Instant Gaming Services In Ohio
ATHENS, Greece (April 8, 2009) -- INTRALOT USA, following a competitive procurement, was selected by the Ohio Department of Administrative Services as the apparent successful vendor to develop, refine, and implement instant ticket and related cooperative instant ticket support services in the state............Subscribers

Promotional Lottery Tickets Policy to be Reviewed
COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 2, 2009) – Following the recent revelation that lottery chief Michael Dolan gave 100 tickets to a state trooper who had let him off with a warning, ‘The Columbus Dispatch’ reported that according to records released to the newspaper by the inspector general and Ohio Lottery, lottery officials gave away 55,711 instant lottery tickets and 290,286 promotional tickets between Jan. 8, 2007, and Feb. 9 of this year..................Subscribers

Governor Puts Hold on the Distribution of Promotional Lottery Tickets After Investigation
COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 1, 2009) – Governor Ted Strickland has temporarily banned the distribution of promotional lottery tickets in light of a report Tuesday that revealed...............Subscribers

Judge Rules in Favour of Lottery Panel's Vendor Decision
COLUMBUS, Ohio (March 12, 2009) --- The ‘Columbus Dispatch’ reported that a Franklin County judge ruled yesterday that the Ohio Lottery Commission acted properly when it awarded a multimillion-dollar contract for online games to a new vendor last year..............Subscribers

Lottery Gets New Sales Director
CLEVELAND, Ohio (March 7, 2009) -- The Ohio Lottery Commission has hired John Martin, formerly the general manager of Colortone Staging & Rentals, in Solon, to be its new sales director...................Subscribers

Ohio Lottery, Restaurants Team Up For Keno Parties
COLUMBUS, Ohio (February 25, 2009) – The Ohio Lottery is ready to take KENO to the next level. Roosters restaurants are teaming up with Ohio lottery officials to offer Keno parties from.................Subscribers

Keno Comes Up Short in First Six Months
COLUMBUS, Ohio (February 5, 2009) – Six months after the Ohio Lottery launched KENO, it is on track to bring in less than half the revenue projected by lottery officials and Governor Ted Strickland’s office.....................Subscribers

Ohio Not Interested In Video Terminals, Lottery Says
COLUMBUS, Ohio, USA (January 20, 2009) -- Lottery spokeswoman Jeannie Roberts said the Ohio Lottery Commission is not entertaining any proposals for video lottery terminals (VLTs)................Subscribers