The Maryland Lottery began in 1973 and has supported state causes in education, public health, public safety, and the environment. It is open to players 18 and over and has awarded over $31 billion in prizes since selling the first ticket.
The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency also operates casinos and legal sports betting in the state. For those, players must be 21 and over.
We’re talking about a substantial operation in the state of Maryland and that includes all of the different games available through the lottery. A lot of games, a lot of sales, a lot of retailers, and a whole lot of chances to win.
Tickets can only be purchased at approved retailers, with more than 4,400 across the state. For now, Maryland does not offer online ticket purchases or partner with any third-party sellers.
Maryland Lottery Games
Maryland has five daily draw games and four Jackpot games. Three of them are part of multi-state lotteries – Powerball, Mega Millions, and Cash 4 Life. Multi-Match is Maryland’s lone state-specific Jackpot game.
Along with those, Maryland offers lots of Fast Play games, as well as dozens of different varieties of scratch-offs at different denominations. Keno and Racetrax are among the instant-win games as well. Like we said, there are a lot of games and ways to win.
Maryland Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Maryland has been part of Powerball since 2010, joining the game along with a whole lot of other states and jurisdictions that year. Powerball numbers are drawn on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
Players select five basic numbers from 1 to 69 and a Bonus Ball from 1 to 26 in hopes of matching all six numbers, which would lead to a Jackpot that begins at $20 million and increases with each drawing that doesn’t result in a grand prize winner.
Each Powerball ticket costs $2, with $1 optional add-ons for the Power Play and also the Double Play, so a full ticket with all of them costs $4. Ticket sales cut off at 9:59.
Mega Millions
Maryland was actually one of the original six with Mega Millions back in 1996, joining Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Mega Millions drawings take place on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET.
Players select five basic numbers from 1 to 70 and then the Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Like Powerball, the Jackpot starts at $20 million and grows each time a grand prize winner is not selected. Mega Millions tickets cost $2 with an optional $1 Megaplier add-on, which multiplies non-Jackpot prizes. Ticket sales cut off at 10:45.
Cash 4 Life
The other multi-state draw game for the Maryland Lottery is Cash 4 Life, which gives players the chance to win $1,000 a day for the rest of their lives. This is a daily draw game that is offered in 10 states – New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia, Indiana, Florida, and Missouri.
Other states offer the Lucky For Life game, but Maryland is one that offers Cash 4 Life. Five numbers are marked from 1 to 60 and then a Cash Ball from 1 to 4 is also selected. Each play costs $2 and the drawing is at 9 p.m. ET every night. Ticket sales cut off at 8:45.
Multi-Match
This is the Maryland-exclusive lotto drawing in the state. Each play costs $2 and there are a maximum of five plays per ticket. Six numbers are drawn from 1 to 43 on Monday and Thursday nights. Players get to pick one line of six numbers and the computer randomly selects the other two lines in this game.
To win, you have to match up as many numbers as possible on one line or across the ticket. Going 6-for-6 on one line wins the Jackpot. Matching 10+ numbers out of the 18 pays $2,000. Prizes go as low as $2 for matching three numbers in a line or 5 of 18 numbers.
The Multi-Match drawing is at 7:56 p.m. ET on Monday and Thursday. Ticket sales cut off at 7:52.
Bonus Match 5
Bonus Match 5 is another lotto variant offered by the Maryland Lottery. Drawings are held seven days a week at 7:56 p.m. ET Monday-Saturday and 8:10 p.m. ET on Sundays. Ticket sales cut off five minutes before the draw.
With this game, players select numbers ranging from 1 to 39 and a Bonus Ball will be drawn from the 34 remaining numbers. There are nine game boards on each playslip with one board for $1, three boards for $2, four boards for $3, six boards for $4, seven boards for $5, or nine boards for $6.
The top prize for this game is $50,000 for matching all five numbers. Prizes below the grand prize range from $2 to $600.
Pick 5
Maryland is one of numerous lotteries to offer a Pick 5. Players select a five-digit number with individual balls ranging from 0 to 9. There are two Pick 5 drawings in Maryland, one at 12:27 p.m. ET Monday-Friday and 12:28 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Evening drawing is held at 7:56 p.m. ET Monday-Saturday and 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Plays start at 50 cents and the numbers can be played Straight, Box, Front 4, Back 4, Front 3, Back 3, Front Pair, Back Pair, Combo, and Straight/Box. Multiply the cost of your ticket by the number of ways that you want to play.
Pick 4
The Pick 4 is similar to the Pick 5, just with one fewer number to draw. Drawings are at the same time based on the day and plays also start at 50 cents, with Straight, Box, Straight/Box, Combo as the options.
Multiply the cost of your ticket by the number of ways that you want to play. The top prize for Pick 4 is $5,000.
Pick 3
The Maryland Lottery Pick 3 is just like the Pick 5 and Pick 4 with one or two fewer numbers and the same draw times. The top prize for the Pick 3 is $500.
Straight, Box, Front Pair, Back Pair, Combo, and Straight/Box are the wagering options, with a base play starting at 50 cents and going up from there based on the wager amount and the bet types.
Cash Pop
Cash Pop launched in May 2024 for the Maryland Lottery and is drawn four times per day – 9 a.m. ET, 1 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. There are 15 numbers and players can play one or all 15 for $1 per “Pop”.
Prize amounts are randomly selected by the computer and each prize amount is at least 5x the cost of the ticket.
Keno
Maryland is one of numerous states that have added Keno to their lottery offerings. There are 80 spots in Keno and players can pick up to 10 spots on one ticket. The computer then randomly selects 20 of the 80 numbers and a ticket is graded based on how many spots are covered.
Keno costs $1 to $20 per game, but you can buy “Packaged Keno To Go” in Maryland and get 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 games for 25 cents each.
There are also add-ons for the Keno Bonus and Keno Super Bonus that players can choose to utilize.
Keno games start every 3.5 minutes.
Racetrax
Racetrax is not widely-used in the lottery community, but the Maryland Lottery does offer it. This is a horse racing game that is run roughly every four minutes. Fixed probabilities are attached to each horse in the race and players can wager on one or more of the 12 in the field.
The betting options are Win, Show, Win/Show, Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, or Superfecta. Each play costs $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10, or $20 and a Racetrax optional add-on for a bonus doubles the price of the ticket.
The top prize in this game is $3.15 million!
Maryland Lottery Fast Play Games
The Maryland Lottery also offers Fast Play games through its approved retailers. A ticket is printed out that is of the instant-win variety and those are randomly selected by the computer. Players can risk $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, or $30 on these games and some of them do have Progressive Jackpots attached.
The odds of winning for each variety of game are posted on the Maryland Lottery website. So are the prizes remaining. These must be redeemed within 182 days of the purchase date on a winning ticket.
Maryland Lottery Scratch-Offs
Maryland Lottery scratch-off tickets cost $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, $30, or $50, so there are a lot of options for players. There are also a lot of seasonal games and Maryland also has partnerships with the Baltimore Ravens to offer those themed games during the season.
There are dozens of options for scratch-offs players and the odds of winning are posted on the lottery website and so are the prizes remaining.
Maryland Lottery Casinos
The governing body for the lottery in Maryland is also the governing body for casinos, as they share resources.
Maryland has six casinos:
- MGM National Harbor
- Horseshoe Casino
- Live! Casino and Hotel
- Ocean Downs
- Rocky Gap Casino Resort
- Hollywood Casino
Maryland Lottery App
The Maryland Lottery App does not allow for the purchase of tickets, though players can put together an ePlayslip to save time when they get to an in-person retailer. The app also works in concert with the Maryland myRewards loyalty program that allows players to rack up points that can be redeemed for prizes, free tickets, second-chance drawings, and more.
How To Claim Maryland Lottery Prizes
Winning tickets up to and including $600 can be redeemed at any Maryland Lottery retailer.
Tickets of more than $600 require proof of ID and a Social Security number or federal tax ID to confirm age and eligibility.
Winning tickets of $5000 or less can be redeemed at one of the Maryland Lottery Expanded Cashing Authority Program retailers.
Winning tickets of $25,000 or less can be claimed at the cashier’s cage in any of the six Maryland casinos. Tickets of more than $25,000 can only be claimed via the Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
Maryland has an 8.75% state tax withholding on prizes of $5,000 or more.
Maryland Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
There are more than 4,400 approved lottery retailers in the state of Maryland.
Players must be 18 years of age or older to enjoy the Maryland Lottery, but 21 or older to play in the Maryland Lottery casinos or on sports betting apps.
No. Maryland does not allow online sales, nor do they partner with any of the third-party online sellers.