New Mexico Lottery

The New Mexico Lottery got its start with the big wig of the lotto world, the Powerball, in 1996, and has been a presence in the US lotto industry ever since. The state lottery is run by a seven-person board comprised of people chosen by the Government of New Mexico.

The New Mexico Lottery features one of the best and most informative lotto websites in the US, featuring stories and pictures of past winners as well as detailed reports about everything you need to know for the different lottery games available.

Throughout the history of the New Mexico Lottery, more than $596 million has been raised for the state’s education system. The state also boasts a program in which applicants that graduated from New Mexico high schools have the opportunity to earn a scholarship to go to one of the 25 college/university institutions in the state.

New Mexico Powerball and Mega Millions Generate Most Income For the State

While we already mentioned that the New Mexico Powerball started in 1996, the other giant of the US jackpot games - the New Mexico Mega Millions - didn’t get started in New Mexico until early 2010.

The New Mexico Powerball had its biggest winner come from a Powerball win in September 2008. A group of nine friends that labeled themselves as the Roswell Fun Havers claimed a $206 million jackpot that translated into about $103 million after the group decided to take the cash option and split the $103 million nine ways.

New Mexico Hot Lotto Provides Great Third Tier Option

The New Mexico Hot Lotto, which is played in 15 other states as well, provides another great jackpot option. Tickets cost $1 apiece, and players are charged with picking five numbers from 1 to 47 and then also choosing a Hot Ball ranging from 1 to 19. The jackpot begins at $1 million and regularly reaches into the $3 or $4 million range, making it a solid third tier game.

The Hot Lotto did something somewhat revolutionary in the lotto world as they began advertising their jackpot amounts as the actual earnings after taxes. To compare, the Powerball advertises their jackpots as being the full amount before taxes and amounts are usually cut in half after taxes.

New Mexico Roadrunner Cash and Pick 3 Provide Solid Daily Options

The New Mexico Roadrunner Cash and Pick 3 are two of the lower tier jackpot games that the New Mexico State Lottery features. Both games are only offered within the confines of the state of New Mexico.

Jackpots for the Roadrunner Cash start at $25,000, and drawings take place Monday through Saturday. Potential players are charged with picking five numbers 1 to 37. How did they come up with the number 37, you ask? That’s a helluva question…

The New Mexico Pick 3 is about as simple as it gets in the lotto world. Players pick three numbers between 1-9 while also deciding if what play type they’d like to go with. The play type options include Straight, Box, or Straight/Box with the difficulty of the play type determining how much you win. Prizes for the Pick 3 max out at $500 per ticket, but there are multiple ways to win depending on which play type you choose.