Despite the fact that lotteries provide a great source of government revenue for state programs, especially education, and a great amount of fun, there are 8 states that currently do not have state lotteries. The states that currently do not have lotteries are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. It is evident why most of these states continue to resist implementing a state lottery. For example, in Alabama, Mississippi and Utah, there is considerable religious opposition to all gambling. In Nevada, the casino industry opposes the lottery because of the competition it would create. Both Alaska and Hawaii are isolated from other states and therefore need not worry about losing money to nearby states. Lottery supporters in all eight of these states remain hopeful that a state lottery will eventually be put into place. If this happens, these 8 states could not only create their own exciting lotteries, but also participate in multi-state games such as Powerball and Mega Millions.
Alabama
In 1999, a constitutional amendment to allow a State Lottery was defeated in the state of Alabama. Approximately 54% of voters opposed the lottery referendum while 46%, supported it. The total voter turnout was estimated at 50%. There is a strong Christian argument against instating the lottery in the state of Alabama. There has been little talk since 1999 about another state lottery proposal.
Alaska
In 2003 there was a lot of buzz about gambling proposals in the state of Alaska. However, unlike Alabama, Alaska never brought a state lottery proposal to ballot. There has been little talk lately of implementing a state lottery in Alaska.
Arkansas
There is much talk in Arkansas about instating a state lottery. In fact, on April 13th, 2008 Lt. Gov. Bill Halter announced that enough signatures had been collected to put a lottery proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot. The state lottery proposal in Arkansas is described as the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery. The proceeds of the lottery would be used to fund scholarships and grants to citizens of Arkansas who are enrolled in public and private nonprofit colleges and universities located within the State. In 1996 and 2000, Arkansas voters rejected state lotteries whose proposals also included provisions for casinos. It seems the Arkansas citizens will get another chance to vote on an Arkansas state lottery at the end of this year.
Hawaii
Hawaii also does not have a state lottery. Like Alaska, there has been little talk lately in Hawaii about instating a state lottery. There are few arguments for or against a state lottery in Hawaii. Politicians' main argument against a state lottery centers around the idea that it is unnecessary and is not needed for the education system to thrive.
Mississippi
While Mississippi does have casinos, it does not have a state lottery. In fact, proposals for a state lottery tend to be defeated in Mississippi because they would take away from casino profit. In 1990 a proposal for a state lottery was defeated in Mississippi. Like Alaska and Hawaii, there is little talk lately about the prospect of a state lottery in Mississippi.
Nevada
Like Mississippi, state legislatures have continuously voted down the state lottery proposals because it will interfere with the casino industry. In fact, a proposal for a Nevada state lottery has failed 24 times since 1975, and the people have never gotten the chance to decide. In 2007, on the 25th try, a bill made it through the House of Representatives but it has not been acted on in the senate yet. This bill would allow voters to decide the issue, although the legislature would have to approve the bill again in 2009 before it would appear on the ballot in 2010. There is constant talk in Nevada about implementing a state lottery.
Utah
Utah is the only state that currently does not have a lottery that is not seriously consider implementing a state lottery. Like Mississippi and Alabama, there is widespread religious opposition to gambling. There is little talk lately of putting into place a state lottery in Utah where gambling is completely banned.
Wyoming
Like the preceding seven states, Wyoming does not have a state lottery. For over ten years, lawmakers in Wyoming have been considering a state lottery. A proposed bill was narrowly voted down in 2005 by the Wyoming House of Representatives. In February of 2007 a bill to introduce a state lottery was voted down again by the Wyoming House of Representatives by a vote of 31-27. The talk of a Wyoming state lottery continues and supporters are hopeful that a lottery will soon be put into place.
How You Can Play the Lottery
If you live in any of these non-lottery states and wish to play this or any other state lottery, simply log onto official state lottery websites. These sites explain how to purchase tickets, and often times tickets can be purchased online so you can play most state lotteries from the comfort of your own home. You can also refer to official state websites for custom lottery news. Many sites offer lottery number generators to help make your lottery number picking easier for you. If you would like to purchase your tickets in person, you can also visit a local lottery terminal. No matter how you choose to purchase your tickets, or which tickets you choose to buy, you're bound to have some fun! |
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All remaining states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands require lottery winners to publicly come forward to claim their cash prize. As of 2019, several states are pushing for legislation that would allow lottery winners to remain anonymous if they so choose.
I normally don’t consider myself a jealous person but that all goes out the window when we’re talking about stories concerning people who’ve won the lottery.
- Michigan and Pennsylvania in particular are home to some of the best online lottery options but other states offer their games online as well. Read on for a complete picture of the online lottery situation in every state. How to Buy Lottery Tickets Online. Increasing numbers of states are moving to online sales of lottery tickets.
- Lottery State-by-State. The Associated Press. March 3, 2021 Updated: March 3, 2021 9:33 p.m. Facebook Twitter Email. The state-by-state winning lottery numbers through Wednesday.
- In 1990 a proposal for a state lottery was defeated in Mississippi. Like Alaska and Hawaii, there is little talk lately about the prospect of a state lottery in Mississippi. Nevada Like Mississippi, state legislatures have continuously voted down the state lottery proposals because it will interfere with the casino industry. In fact, a proposal for a Nevada state lottery has failed 24 times since 1975, and the people.
- 1 day ago Lottery State-by-State. The Associated Press. March 7, 2021 Updated: March 7, 2021 9:08 a.m. Facebook Twitter Email. The state-by-state winning lottery numbers through Saturday.
Back when I was in college, I won $50 on a $2 scratch-off and proceeded to eat and drink like a king—and by that I mean I bought two pizzas that would end up sustaining me for a week and consumed a 30 and a plastic handle of vodka in what was retroactively a problematic amount of time.
I’ve since come to terms with the fact that that’s probably going to be the pinnacle of my gambling career, and while I always pick up a couple of Powerball tickets when the jackpot joins the Tres Commas Club, I know there’s virtually no chance I’ll ever have the luck of the husband and wife who won millions within a few months of each other or the guy who won twice in five years.
However, there are plenty of people out there who subscribe to the “somebody’s gotta win” mentality, and if you count yourself among them, you might be interested in the question that brought you here.
Which States Have The Best Lottery Odds?
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States With Lottery Taxes
As you probably know, not all lotteries are created equal but they largely follow the same rule: the lower the chance of winning, the higher the reward.
The nation’s two most popular lottery games are the aforementioned Powerball and its younger cousin Mega Millions, which both offer astronomically high odds: you have a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of winning the former and a 1 in 302,575,350 chance of taking home the latter’s jackpot
If you’re looking to deny the existence of the gambler’s fallacy, you might like to know Pennsylvania and Indiana sport a disproportionate number of winners on a national scale when it comes to Powerball while Georgia and New York are the “luckiest” states for Mega Millions.
States With Lottery
With that said, if you’re hoping to increase your chances of winning from “virtually impossible” to “laughably improbable,” then state lotteries are the way to go. However, not all of them are created equal and there’s no real way to point to one specific game that outshines the rest.
With that said, I’ll do my best.
All but six states have their own lottery system in place—you might be shocked to know Utah is one of them (and unironically shocked that Nevada is also part of the club)—and if NBC is to be believed, Massachusetts is far and away the best state to play the lottery based on how much it pays out compared to the amount of money it generates.
States With Lottery Vending Machines
However, it’s worth noting that data may be a bit flawed—in 2012, students at MIT figured out a way to cheat the system to the tune of $8 million and another couple managed to rake in $27 million over a ten-year span. If you take Massachusetts out of the running, then Arkansas takes the top spot followed by South Carolina, Minnesota, and Georgia (if you’re curious, West Virginia is the worst place to play).
If we’re being honest with each other, at the end of the day, the real answer to the question posed here is “Who the hell cares?” based on how slim your chances of winning are regardless of where you play.
Lottery Results All States
With that said, I wish you the best of luck because you’re sure as hell going to need it.