The Minnesota State Lottery is fairly new by lottery standards. It began in 1990 and has raised over $4 billion in proceeds to help a variety of state needs, including environment and natural resources, game and fish, as well as programs that help the public good like education and health services.
Even though Minnesota got a late start, they have grown rapidly, becoming a part of the major multi-state lottery draws. The state has not advanced as far as others, though, as MN Lottery tickets are not available for purchase on the website or through the app. However, Minnesota is one of the states that has approved Jackpocket, so players can buy tickets through that third-party selling site.
Players must be 18 and over to play the Minnesota Lottery.
Minnesota Lottery Games
The Minnesota Lottery is part of the drawings for Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lotto America. They also offer North 5 and Gopher 5 as two Minnesota-exclusive lotto variants. Pick 3 is another draw game.
Along with those, the MN Lottery offers Print-N-Play Fast Play games, the Minnesota Raffle, and dozens of scratch games with various denominations. Second-chance promotions are available by downloading the Minnesota Lottery App.
Minnesota Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
The Minnesota Lottery participates in the Powerball drawing on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 9:59 p.m. CT. Ticket sales are cut off at 9 p.m. on draw nights.
Each play costs $2 and there is an additional $1 add-on for the Power Play multiplier for non-Jackpot prizes. The Jackpot starts at $20 million and grows if no winner is drawn.
Five numbers from 1 to 69 are selected and then an additional Powerball from 1 to 26 is also picked. Matching all six wins the Jackpot. Minnesota actually adopted Powerball in August 1990, so right after they got operations up and running.
Mega Millions
Minnesota is also part of the Mega Millions drawing, but it took nearly 20 years to add that to Powerball. Mega Millions plays also cost $2 and the numbers are drawn on Tuesday and Friday at 10 p.m. CT, with ticket sales cut off an hour prior.
With Mega Millions, five numbers from 1 to 70 are drawn plus a Mega Ball from 1 to 25. This Jackpot also starts at $20 million and grows until it is won. Along with the $2 base ticket, a $1 Megaplier option is available to multiply non-Jackpot prizes.
Lotto America
Powerball actually began as Lotto America, but changed names in the early ‘90s. Lotto America lives on in 15 states and Minnesota is one of them, along with Maine, Delaware, West Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Idaho, and New Mexico.
Each Lotto America play costs $1 with an additional $1 option for the All Star Bonus, which is a multiplier of non-Jackpot prizes. The five numbers drawn are from 1 to 52 and there is a Star Ball from 1 to 10.
The Jackpot mostly starts at $2 million and grows from there with draws on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 9:20 p.m. ET.
Minnesota North 5
This game is the self-proclaimed “shining star” of the Minnesota Lottery. Drawings are held daily at 6:17 p.m. CT in this five-number lotto game, with numbers ranging from 1 to 31. The cost to play is only $1 and the minimum Jackpot amount is $25,000.
The Jackpot is nine times easier to win than Gopher 5 and 1,720 times easier to win than Powerball, so the Minnesota Lottery really believes in this game.
Gopher 5
The Gopher 5 is the “homegrown Minnesota treasure” of lottery draw games. Drawings for this game are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:17 p.m. CT, with ticket sales cut off seven minutes prior.
Numbers in this game are from 1 to 47 and the Jackpot starts at $100,000. Each play costs $1. The largest Gopher 5 prize ever won was more than $2 million.
Pick 3
Minnesota keeps it easy with the final draw game. The Pick 3 takes place once a day at 6:17 p.m. CT and is the same as the Pick 3 in most states. Three balls ranging from 0 to 9 are drawn to form a three-digit number and players are looking to match it up.
In Minnesota, the minimum bet is 50 cents and the game can be played Straight, Back Pair, Front Pair, First Digit, Box, or Straight/Box. With each potential winning combo, the cost of the ticket increases. The top prize is $500.
Minnesota Lottery Print-N-Play Games
The Minnesota Lottery offers Print-N-Play Games, which are considered “Fast Play” games in other states. Ticket costs are $1, $3, or $5 with Crossword, Slots, and Bingo variants. These are Progressive Jackpot games, where you can win smaller prizes, but the goal is to win a portion of the Jackpot.
A $1 ticket wins 20% of the Progressive Jackpot, while a $3 ticket wins 60% and a $5 pays the whole enchilada. Tickets are randomly selected to win by the computer terminal that prints them.
Minnesota Lottery Scratch-Offs
Dozens of instant-win scratch-off tickets are available in Minnesota, with some as low as two for $1. Ticket denominations offer opportunities for all players to take their chances at winning. Some games do include second-chance promotions and those are clearly labeled on the MN Lottery website.
Themed games for holidays and also for sports teams that are currently in season are available throughout the state.
Minnesota Lottery Raffle
Through the year, a certain number of Minnesota Millionaire Raffle tickets are made available. A number and a bar code are printed on each slip and the drawing is done on New Year’s Day. Cash prizes range from $50 to $1,000,000 and each ticket costs $10.
The winning ticket is a six-digit number ranging from 000001 to 800000, so when 800,000 tickets are sold, there are no more tickets made available.
Minnesota Lottery App
The Minnesota Lottery Convenience App is available on the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. It is the home for checking on tickets to see if they’ve won and the best way to enter second-chance contests. You can also put together a digital playslip that can be scanned at an approved retailer to save time on picking your lottery numbers.
The Minnesota Lottery App and website do not include online ticket sales. However, Minnesota Lottery tickets are available online through Jackpocket.
How To Claim Minnesota Lottery Prizes
Prizes up to and including $50,000 can be claimed by mail or at any one of the regional offices.
Prizes up to $599 can be claimed at a Minnesota Lottery retailer.
Prizes over $50,000 can only be claimed at the Minnesota Lottery Headquarters in Roseville.
The Minnesota state tax withholding is 7.25%.
Minnesota Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Can Minnesota Lottery Tickets Be Purchased Online?
Yes, but not through the Minnesota Lottery directly. Jackpocket is an approved third-party online seller in the state of Minnesota.
How Many Minnesota Lottery Retailers Are There?
There are more than 3,100 approved lottery retailers in the state of Minnesota.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Play The Minnesota Lottery?
Players must be 18 years of age or older.