Maryland Lottery

The first games held in the state took place more than a century ago, but in its current form, the Maryland Lottery was only established in 1972. It was the result of popular demand, and since then, new games have been introduced, including the top lotteries in the United States, the Powerball and Mega Millions.

A Staunch Supporter of the Mega Millions

Back in 1996, The Big Game was launched, and Maryland Lottery was one of its strongest supporters, playing a central role in the release of this new lottery. Eight years later, this lottery game changed its name to Mega Millions, and Maryland State Lottery was the first to introduce it to its public. Not surprisingly, one of those who matched all Mega Millions numbers and won a share of the largest jackpot in lottery history, the $656 million prize in 2005, was also a Maryland resident.

His success only boosted the popularity of lottery games, and the public demanded that the other major American lottery would be introduced. It took five years before Maryland Lottery joined the Powerball, but since 2010 state residents have purchased millions of tickets. The price of such a ticket is just two dollars per game, and those who activate the Power Play function will pay an additional dollar, but the jackpot starts at $40 million, and drawings take place twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday.

Dailey Games Offered by MD Lottery

Maryland Pick 3 is the least expensive lottery in the state, and for just $.50, players can participate in one of the two daily drawings. There are six types of wagers to choose from, with a straight, box, straight & box bet being the most popular, and they all cost less than a dollar. They offer the best ratio between the amount invested and the payout for those who match the Pick 3 numbers, but risk-averse players frequently choose the front and back pair wager or the combo play.

Pick 4 is played by very similar rules except that only three types of wagers are available for players, who need to limit themselves to traditional box, straight, and box/straight plays. Pick four prizes are more challenging to win, but they are also 10 times higher than the Pick three lottery awards, so in the end, it all evens out for Maryland Lottery players.

Hybrid Lottery Games

At first glance, the Bonus Match 5 looks very much like a regular lotto game with players selecting five numbers out of 39, but just as the name suggests, there is a bonus ball to factor in. Maryland match as it is also known costs one dollar to play on a single board and up to six dollars for those who want to improve their chances by purchasing the maximum numbers of boards allowed. Players win by matching as little as three numbers with the jackpot being awarded to those who matched all 5 numbers and the bonus ball.

Maryland State lottery offers an original game that goes by the name of 5 Card Cash and is based on a poker game using the standard 52 card playing deck. The cost per play is two dollars, and those who purchase tickets find out the right away whether they won anything. Players get to choose between cashing in the ticket right away or waiting for the daily drawing and win potentially higher prizes.

Multi-Match comes as close as it gets to a lotto game, and Maryland lottery players will pay two dollars for a betting slip that contains 18 numbers. They can win with a line or by combining the matches in all three lines with numerous prizes on the offer, ranging from $2000 to a jackpot that exceeds half a million. It starts at $500,000, and it is rolled over until somebody matches all Maryland Multi-Match numbers.