New Hampshire Lottery
Approved in 1964, the New Hampshire Lottery is the oldest of its kind in the mainland United States. After it has undergone numerous changes throughout the years, the lottery today includes multi-state draw games, such as Powerball and Mega Millions, tri-state draw games, including Pick 3, Pick 4, and Megabucks, as well as their own Keno 603 and numerous scratch cards.
Despite its humble beginnings more than 50 years ago, the New Hampshire Lottery managed to amass close to $332 million in 2018. A sizable portion of its revenues goes to public education with over $2 billion invested to date.
Today we?ll give you a rundown of the New Hampshire state lottery market, featuring all of the key information, such as which games you can play, how you can sign up for them, where you can buy lottery tickets, at what price, and more.
Buy New Hampshire lottery tickets online with Jackpocket
New Hampshire online lottery
Playing lottery games in New Hampshire has been made especially convenient by the availability of online services. Players can buy lottery tickets from the comfort of their homes on the NH Lottery official website under iLottery Games.
To be able to use this online service, players first have to register an account, which is a simple process that takes no more than a couple of minutes. Here is a step-by-step guide:
- Visit the NH Lottery official website.
- Click on the green ?Register button? in the upper right corner.
- Fill out the form with your email address, password, and basic personal information.
- Click on ?Submit.?
- Visit your mailbox, open the confirmation email, and click on the verification link to verify your account.
Once you?ve signed up, you need to fund your account by clicking on the green shopping cart icon found in the upper-right corner of the website?s homepage. You can deposit money by using ACH bank transfer, PayPal, or Visa and MasterCard debit cards.
Having deposited the desired amount, you can start playing lottery games by clicking on the green ?Buy Now? button next to any available title. Through the iLottery service, players can currently buy Powerball and Mega Millions tickets and over 50 e-instant games.
The Powerball and Mega Millions numbers can be chosen manually, or players can select Favorite Purchase or the Easy Pick option. The Favourite Purchase feature allows members to save their favorite combination of numbers for easy access, whereas the Easy Pick option chooses a random number combination for you.
Another convenient iLottery feature you can use is Auto-Renewal. Every two weeks, the feature automatically purchases tickets for you and enters them into the drawings so you won?t have to miss a single one of them.
When it comes to payouts, members are allowed to withdraw up to $9,999 through the iLottery portal. Players with winnings equal to or exceeding $10,000 can claim their rewards at the NH Lottery Headquarters or submit their request via mail.
Although there are no designated apps for the iLottery service, players can access their NH Lottery account on their smartphones or tablets since the website has been optimized to work on all mobile devices and both Android and iOS operating systems.
Apart from the official, New Hampshire-based online lottery service, lottery lovers can also use a massively popular platform called Jackpocket, which has its app you can use to buy lottery tickets anywhere and at any time.
How does the Jackpocket app work?
The Jackpocket lottery app is a third-party app approved in many states and allows players in NH, TX, OR and NY to buy tickets online. It acts as a mediator between players and state-licensed retailers, and it enables you to play the lottery online safely and easily. What?s more, the app also allows players to turn on the Autoplay feature, check lottery results, and more.
Over the years, Jackpocket has been gaining popularity, mostly because of its convenience. Here is what you need to do to buy lottery tickets through the app:
- Download the Jackpocket app directly from the Jackpocket official website.
- Sign up for an account by providing the required personal information.
- Select the game you want to play and pick the combination of numbers, or use the Quick Pick option that generates random numbers for you.
- You?re good to go!
After you?ve placed the order, Jackpocket will buy the ticket for you from one of its licensed retailers. The physical ticket will contain your combination of numbers, and it will be linked to your Jackpocket account.
The ticket is then scanned, front and back, and sent to you via the app as proof of purchase, together with the email receipt.
One of the greatest advantages of Jackpocket is that it links the serial number of your ticket to your details, so you will be the only person allowed to cash in any eventual winnings. Meanwhile, the physical ticket is safeguarded in Jackpocket?s vault and protected from unauthorized access.
Once the draw is over, you?ll receive a notification via the app informing you whether you?ve won anything. As mentioned before, Jackpocket also offers the Autoplay feature, a service that allows players to re-purchase tickets for subsequent drawings automatically so that they never miss a draw.
All winnings obtained from tickets purchased via Jackpocket will be transferred directly to your Jackpocket account unless they exceed $599. Afterward, you can withdraw the funds or use them to buy additional tickets.
Should your winnings be higher than $599, Jackpocket will transfer the physical ticket to you, and you will be able to use it to claim your winnings. The ways of transferring the ticket may vary, depending on your location, preferences, and ticket value.
While Jackpocket takes a small fee with each of your deposits for the services it provides, there are no Jackpocket fees or commissions on your winnings. Whichever amount you win is yours to keep.
What lottery games can I play in New Hampshire?
The New Hampshire Lottery market currently features seven lottery games, three of which are multi-state drawing games. The list also includes three tri-state games since the New Hampshire Lottery is also a member of the Tri-State Lottery, alongside Maine and Vermont. There is also one New Hampshire-only game, Keno 603, which has been appropriately named after the state?s zip code.
On top of that, the official website features more than 110 scratch cards and 19 fast play games.
New Hampshire lottery multi-state draw games
As a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association, New Hampshire Lottery takes part in the
draws of a few multi-state lottery games. These include Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lucky for Life.
New Hampshire Powerball
Powerball is one of the most popular lottery drawing games in New Hampshire. Forty-four other jurisdictions participate in the draws, including the US Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
To play Powerball, a player must purchase a $2 ticket (one hour before the drawing at the latest) and select two sets of numbers ? five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. For an additional $1, players can use the Power Play? option, allowing them to multiply their non-jackpot winnings 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times.
However, the multiplied prizes are capped at $2 million, regardless of the multiplier, and the 10x multiplier is only allowed when the jackpot is less than $150 million.
There are nine ways to win in a Powerball game, and the jackpot can be won if a player manages to match all five numbers and the Powerball number.
There is a relatively high probability of winning a prize playing Powerball ? 1 in 24.9. However, when it comes to jackpots, the odds are significantly lower ? 1 in 292.2 million. Still, the biggest single-ticket Powerball jackpot prize in New Hampshire was quite staggering ? $559 million in 2018.
The largest overall jackpot prize ever won on Powerball was $1.586 billion. It was shared among the winners in Florida, California, and Tennessee in 2016. This was also the world-record jackpot.
New Hampshire Powerball key points
- Ticket cost ? $2 (+ additional $1 if you also opt for the Power Play? option)
- Nine different ways to win
- Biggest New Hampshire Powerball jackpot ? $559 million
Mega Millions
Another massively popular US multi-state draw game, Mega Millions, is currently offered in 45 states, the US Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia. Similar to Powerball, the price of the ticket is $2, and it must be bought at least one hour before the drawing starts.
To participate in the draw, players must choose five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball number from 1 to 25. Alternatively, they can opt for the Easy Pick option if they want the numbers chosen for them. An additional dollar brings you a feature that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, or 5.
Mega Millions offers nine ways to win, starting from a $2 prize to the jackpot, which can be won only by matching all five numbers plus the Mega Ball number.
When it comes to jackpots, the highest amount ever won on Mega Millions in New Hampshire was worth $168 million. On the other hand, the highest ever single-ticket jackpot amounted to a staggering $1.537 billion, which went to one lucky winner from South Carolina in October 2019.
New Hampshire Mega Millions key points
- Ticket cost ? $2 (+additional $1 if you choose to add the Megaplier?)
- Nine ways to win
- The highest ever New Hampshire Mega Millions jackpot ? $168 million
New Hampshire Multi-State draw times
- Powerball: You can enjoy the thrill of Powerball drawings every Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m., local time. Make sure to purchase your ticket by 9:50 p.m. at the latest.
- Mega Millions: Try your luck at Mega Millions every Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased until 09:00 p.m. on the evening of the draw.
New Hampshire state draw games
In addition to these multi-state games, New Hampshire Lottery also offers other fantastic lottery titles, one of them even unique to the state. Since it?s a member of the Tri-State Lottery together with Vermont and Maine, New Hampshire Lottery offers games from this market as well.
- Lucky for Life: Lucky for Life is a unique drawing game currently played in 26 states. Purchasing a $2 ticket may bring you $1,000 a day or $25,000 a year for the rest of your life. To get in on the game, select five numbers from 1 to 48 and one Lucky Ball number from 1 to 18. You can also let the computer choose random numbers instead of you. There are ten ways to win in total. Prizes start at $4 and hit the ceiling with $1,000 a day for life for at least 20 years if you match all five balls plus the Lucky Ball.
- Keno 603: This is the only New Hampshire-exclusive drawing game. In it, you need to choose the number of spots you would like to play and mark the same amount of numbers between 1 and 80. Or, you can simply choose Easy Pick to mark the numbers for you. Select how much money you would like to wager per draw ($1?$25). For a double price, opt for Keno 603 Plus and get a chance to multiply your winnings by 3, 4, 5, or 10. For every wager over $1, the winning amount is multiplied by the wagered amount. Prizes range from $1 to $1,000,000.
- Tri-State Megabucks: Purchase a $2 ticket and aim at the $1,000,000 jackpot or the second prize of $30,000! Choose five numbers from 1 to 41 from the upper section of the ticket and one number from 1 to 6 from the other section. With nine ways to win and some of the best odds around, you may well be the next jackpot winner!
- Tri-State Pick 3/Pick 4: There is more to Pick 3/Pick 4 than just picking the numbers. Since the winning amount depends on your wager, you can choose to play one of the following bets: straight, boxed, middle pair, front pair/back pair, or single digit. The tickets start at only $0.50 and go up to $5.
- Tri-State Gimme 5: This is a game with as many as five drawings a week! Purchase a $1 ticket, choose five numbers from 1 to 39, or select the Easy Pick option. There are four ways to win, ranging between $2 (in the case of two matched numbers) and $100,000 (for matching all five numbers).
New Hampshire state draw times
- Lucky for Life: Watch the drawings every Monday and Thursday around 10:38 p.m. local time. Tickets must be bought before 09:30 p.m.
- Keno 603: The drawings are held every five minutes, from 11:05 a.m. to 01:00 a.m. ET. Tickets are on sale 24/7.
- Tri-State Megabucks: Test your luck every Wednesday and Saturday at 07:59 p.m. ET. Tickets must be purchased no later than 07:50 p.m.
- Tri-State Pick 3/Pick 4: Drawings are held twice daily, seven days a week: 01:30 p.m. and 09:45 p.m. ET. The tickets must be bought before 01:00 p.m. for the first draw of the day and no later than 06:45 p.m. for the second draw.
- Tri-State Gimme 5: Enjoy the game Monday through Friday at 06:59 p.m. ET. The tickets must be bought by 06:45 p.m.
New Hampshire scratch tickets
If you prefer scratch cards to lottery draw games, you?ll be thrilled to learn that New Hampshire Lottery has over 110 different scratch cards in store for you. If you visit the NH Lottery official platform, you?ll find all of the available scratch-off lottery cards neatly organized into categories based on their price. They range anywhere from $1 cards, like Lucky Gold Doubler and Marry Money, to $25 card
s, such as Granite State Millions, giving you the chance to win up to $2,000,000!
Other gambling options in New Hampshire
Even though New Hampshire does offer other gambling options besides the state lottery, they are quite limited. For instance, gambling in New Hampshire has mostly been allowed through charities, and poker games and tournaments are usually held at racetracks and bingo halls.
Although some casino-live venues can be found as parts of pubs and racetracks, they are a far cry from the Vegas-like casino floors found in other states. However, there is hope for the gambling industry in New Hampshire. Namely, New Hampshire sportsbooks have been legalized recently, so we hope other forms of gambling may follow suit soon.
New Hampshire Lottery history
We?ve already mentioned that the New Hampshire Lottery is the oldest in the mainland US. However, the road to this title was everything but smooth. Before the lottery got legalized, State Representative Larry Pickett of Keene had had five unsuccessful attempts at passing a bill in favor of approving state-licensed sweepstakes. His goal was to introduce sweepstakes to raise money that could help local public education.
His efforts and persistence ultimately paid off in 1963, when sweepstakes were finally approved. After the voting of 1964, where most of New Hampshire?s communities voted in favor of the lottery, first tickets could finally be bought.
In 1985, the Tri-State Lottery was founded by New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. As a result, the first multi-jurisdictional lottery in the United States was created. A decade later, in 1995, New Hampshire Lottery also joined the Multi-State Lottery Association, a nationwide non-profit organization that facilitates multi-state lottery games.
Today, New Hampshire Lottery collects huge revenue every year with 25% of it going to public education. For instance, in 2018, the lottery alone managed to amass around $332 million. So far, around $2 billion has been invested in education overall.