The Maine State Lottery was established in 1974 by the voters and proceeds go towards the State’s General Fund. The humble beginnings of the Maine Lottery include drawing numbers from a gumball machine. Suffice it to say that it has come a long way from that.
Now Maine offers many of the nation’s biggest games and also state-specific games for its citizens. The first lottery number was drawn on June 27, 1974 and things have been growing ever since.
Maine Lottery Games
The Maine Lottery includes national draw games like Powerball and Mega Millions, as well as Lotto America and Lucky For Life. Fast Play and scratch-offs are also available and there are several different titles for players.
Maine is also part of the “Tri-State Megabucks” drawing, a joint lottery venture with New Hampshire and Vermont. The state also offers an “All-In” game in conjunction with the World Poker Tour.
Sports betting is available in Maine, but it is not run by the lottery because the licenses belong to Native American tribes.
While Maine does not directly sell lottery tickets online, they are available through a partnership with Jackpocket.
Maine Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Maine joined the ranks of Powerball in 2004, becoming the third state to do so that year and was actually the last state for about 18 months before Oklahoma joined the multi-state draw.
Powerball drawings take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET and the cut-off for ticket sales is at 9:50 p.m. ET on draw nights.
Powerball players select or have the computer select five numbers ranging from 1 to 69 and then a special Powerball from 1 to 26. The Jackpot starts at $20 million and grows until the grand prize is won.
Each play costs $2 with an optional add-on for the Power Play for $1 to multiply all non-Jackpot prizes.
Mega Millions
Maine was later than most states to the Mega Millions party, adding the game in May 2010. Since Maine adopted the game, only six states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands have come on board.
Each play for the Mega Millions costs $2 with an optional Megaplier add-on for $1 to multiply non-Jackpot prizes. This game is drawn on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET and ticket sales are cut off at 9:50.
Five numbers ranging from 1 to 70 and a Mega Ball from 1 to 25 are selected for each ticket and matching all six wins the grand prize, which starts at $20 million and grows with each non-winning drawing.
Lotto America
Maine joined Lotto America in 2017. This is another multi-state lottery drawing with five numbers ranging from 1 to 52 and then a Star Ball from 1 to 10. Drawings for this game are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:15 p.m. ET. The cut-off for sales is 9:30.
Each play costs $1 and the All Star Bonus is an additional $1 add-on, but it is optional.
The states that participate in Lotto America are Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
Lucky For Life
The Maine Lottery also participates in the multi-state drawing of Lucky For Life, which features a grand prize of $1,000 a day for life. The numbers range from 1 to 48 with a Lucky Ball from 1 to 18 and if you match the game’s basic numbers, you win $25,000 a year for life.
This drawing is held every day at 10:38 p.m. ET and costs $2 per play. Ticket sales end at 9:30 on drawing nights.
The states that participate in Lucky For Life are Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
Tri-State Megabucks
Tri-State Megabucks is a joint lottery venture between Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Each Megabucks play is $2 and the numbers range from 1 to 41 and then there is a Mega Ball from 1 to 6.
This is an early drawing at 7:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The cut-off is 7:50 p.m., so it is a quick turnaround, but that is made possible with three states in play.
The Jackpot starts at $1 million.
Gimme 5
Gimme 5 is the Maine Lottery version of a state-specific lotto draw. This is five numbers with no bonuses and no multipliers. The drawing is held every weekday at 6:59 p.m. ET and ticket sales are cut off at 6:45 p.m.
The numbers range from 1 to 39 and the top prize is $100,000.
Pick 4
Maine’s Pick 4 is drawn twice daily at 1:10 p.m. ET and 6:50 p.m. ET. Four numbers with a range of 0 to 9 are selected with no bonus numbers for anywhere from 50 cents to $5 per play. Numbers can be played in multiple ways – Straight, Box, Front Pair, Middle Pair, Back Pair, Single Digit.
With each potential winning combination, the price of the ticket increases. The cut off for ticket sales is 10 minutes before the midday draw and five minutes before the evening draw.
Pick 3
Maine’s Pick 3 is also drawn twice daily and at the same times as Pick 4, 1:10 p.m. ET and 6:50 p.m. ET. Three numbers ranging from 0 to 9 are selected to create the three-digit winning numbers.
Each play ranges from 50 cents to $5, with the cost increasing to play different winning combinations. Players can play their numbers Straight, Box, Front Pair, Back Pair, or Single Digit.
Ticket sales cut off at 1 and 6:45, respectively, for the two drawings, which take place daily.
Cash Pop
All states with Cash Pop operate the game independently, but Maine is another one that has adopted the game. One number is drawn from 1 to 15 with five different drawings each day (all times ET) – Early Bird (8:30 a.m.), Brunch (11:30 a.m.), Matinee (2:30 p.m.), Supper Time (6:30), and Night Owl (11:30).
Base play amounts range from $1 to $10 and players can cover one or up to 15 numbers if they want. The computer randomly selects the prize amounts that accompany each number. Each prize amount will be at least 5x the ticket cost.
World Poker Tour “All In”
The All In World Poker Tour game is drawn nightly and offers two chances to win for a $2 ticket purchase. Every ticket can win twice per day and the top prize is up to $100,000.
The “All In” feature is an extra $1 per hand and that is the second way to win with a flush or better.
Players win instantly with a pair of Jacks or better if the cards on your ticket match a winning poker hand.
As far as the draw goes, matching all five cards wins $100,000, while matching four cards is worth $500 and matching three cards is worth $20. The value in this game is the chance at getting an instant-win prize.
Maine Lottery Fast Play Games
The Maine Lottery offers Fast Play Games in the amount of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, or $30. The lottery terminal that they are purchased from will randomly select whether or not the Fast Play ticket is a winner.
Some of the games feature Progressive Jackpots that are up for grabs.
Maine Lottery Scratch-Offs
The Maine Lottery also provides a wide range of scratch-offs tickets at various denominations. Players can buy tickets that cost $1, $2, $3, $5, $10, $20, $25, or $30. Each game features its own set of instructions and prize amounts.
The Maine Lottery website does have the Unclaimed Prizes for each game, so players can see how many top prizes are left in circulation.
Maine Lottery App
The Maine Lottery App is offered in conjunction with the RewardMe Players Club. Lottery players can earn points and also take advantage of second-chance promotions by documenting the tickets that they purchase.
However, tickets can not be purchased through the app. Maine has partnered with Jackpocket for the online sale of tickets, but the Maine Lottery does not directly sell tickets online.
How To Claim Maine Lottery Prizes
Prizes under $600 can be claimed at any Maine State Lottery retail location.
Prizes of $600 or more can be claimed in three different ways:
- In-person at the Maine State Lottery Office in Augusta.
- By mail or courier with the proper claim form and a signed ticket
- In-person at an approved Lottery Retailer. They will fill out a Claim Receipt that can be sent in or taken to the office in Augusta.
For prizes over $5,000, Maine has a 7.15% state tax withholding.
Maine Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
There are more than 1,300 approved lottery retailers in the state of Maine.
Players must be 18 years of age or older.
Only through Jackpocket. The state of Maine does not offer online lottery ticket sales.