The Wyoming Lottery, better known as the WyoLotto, is the second-youngest lottery in the United States. Mississippi is the only state to have gotten a lottery more recently, as the WyoLotto got started in 2013.
Even though the Wyoming Lottery is limited on games, it has still generated over $40 million in proceeds to help the cities, towns, and counties of the state. The funds are unrestricted by the state government and are dispersed to the different local agencies to decide where they want to spend it.
“What plays in Wyoming stays in Wyoming” is the catchphrase and that was the selling point to get a lottery off the ground.
Players must be 18 and older to play and the state does not sell any online or mobile lottery tickets directly or allow third-party sellers like Jackpocket or Jackpot.com to do it.
Wyoming Lottery Games
The WyoLotto offers six draw games. The state is part of the multi-state Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lucky For Life drawings, along with the regional 2by2 multi-state game. Along with that, Cowboy Draw is the state-specific lotto game and WyoLotto Keno is also available.
The legislation that created the Wyoming Lottery specifically prohibits scratch-off tickets, so only draw games are available.
Wyoming Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Wyoming participates in the Powerball drawing on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 8:59 p.m. MT. Ticket sales close an hour prior to the drawing. Each play costs $2 and there is an optional $1 add-on for the Power Play multiplier of non-Jackpot prizes.
Five numbers are drawn from 1 to 69 and then a Powerball from 1 to 26. Matching all six wins the Jackpot, which starts at $20 million and rolls over with each draw without a winner.
Wyoming added Powerball right away on August 24, 2014 after getting operations up and running.
Mega Millions
The WyoLotto also participates in the Mega Millions drawing, joining that on August 24, 2014 as well. Each play costs $2 and features an optional $1 add-on for the Megaplier, a multiplier of non-Jackpot prizes.
Mega Millions draws take place on Tuesday and Friday at 9 p.m. MT, with ticket sales cut off an hour before the draw. Five numbers from 1 to 70 and a Mega Ball from 1 to 25 are drawn. Matching all six wins the Jackpot, which starts at $20 million and grows if no grand prize winner is found.
The WyoLotto offers the “Just The Jackpot” option, which is two plays for $3 and it is winner-take-all. Either you match all six numbers or you have a losing ticket.
Lucky For Life
Most lotteries in the U.S. are either part of Lucky For Life or Cash 4 Life. The Wyoming Lottery is part of Lucky For Life, a daily draw game at 8:38 p.m. MT with a grand prize of $1,000 a day for life. Ticket sales close at 7:30 p.m. MT in advance of the draw.
Each draw costs $2 and there are no multipliers or add-ons. This is just a straightforward six-number draw with five numbers from 1 to 48 and a Lucky Ball from 1 to 18. The secondary grand prize is $25,000 a year for life.
This game is played in 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.
2by2
2by2 is the final multi-state draw game in Wyoming and it is played in Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The Jackpot for the game is $22,000 with a nightly draw at 8:30 p.m. MT. The one exception is that the Tuesday Jackpot goes up to $44,000 for players who add a seven-day (or multiplier thereof; 14, 21, 28, etc.) drawing option to their ticket.
Two red numbers and two white numbers ranging from 1 to 26 are pulled. Players win by matching either the same color or one or more of each color. Matching all four wins the Jackpot.
Each play costs $1 and matching one number equals a free play for the next draw.
As a heads up, the maximum prize liability is $220,000 per draw, so if there are more than 10 grand prize winners across the four states, that amount is split evenly. On Tuesdays, the maximum prize liability is $440,000.
Cowboy Draw
Cowboy Draw is the WyoLotto-exclusive lottery game for the state. Tickets are $5 for two sets of numbers. Five numbers are selected by the computer or by the player ranging from 1 to 45. Matching up all five wins the Jackpot. Matching four wins $1,000. All it takes is a match of two numbers to get your money back on that ticket.
This game is drawn twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, both at 2 p.m. MT. Ticket sales are cut off 15 minutes before the drawing. During the Wyoming Cowboys football season, a buy one, get one (BOGO) offer may be available depending on the outcome of the game.
The Jackpot is based on the total sales and an allocation of 59.08% of the prize pool.
Keno
The Wyoming Lottery also has Keno draws that are held every four minutes from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. on a daily basis. Players choose from 1 to 10 spots or have the computer pick for them. Each draw features 20 numbers at random from the computer. Matching up your spots with the numbers is the ticket to winning.
Keno wagers can be $1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $10, or $20 and players can play up to 20 consecutive draws, with the caveat that the total ticket cost cannot exceed $125.
The grand prize limit for all wagers is $200,000.
WyoLotto App
The WyoLotto App is the best way to keep track of all your ticket purchases and also what’s new with the lottery. The app serves as a ticket scanner, tracks gameplay, has the recent draw results and current Jackpot amounts, and is the easiest way to find a WyoLotto retailer.
Wyoming does not currently have a Players Club attached to the app and lottery tickets cannot be purchased through the app or the Wyoming Lottery website.
How To Claim Wyoming Lottery Prizes
For prizes less than $600, a signed ticket can be redeemed at any WyoLotto retailer or can be claimed by mail. The mailing address is 1620 Central Avenue, Suite 100, Cheyenne, WY, 82001.
Prizes of $600 or more require a claim form to be mailed along with the ticket to the above address. Those prizes can also be claimed in-person at the office in Cheyenne.
Any prize of $50,000 or more must be claimed in-person.
Wyoming does not have state tax on lottery prizes, but the 24% federal tax applies on any prize of $5,000 or more.
Wyoming Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Can Wyoming Lottery Tickets Be Purchased Online?
No. State rules and regulations prohibit the online or mobile sale of Wyoming lottery tickets.
How Many Wyoming Lottery Retailers Are There?
There are more than 400 approved lottery retailers in the state of Wyoming.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Play The Wyoming Lottery?
Players must be 18 years of age or older to play the Wyoming Lottery.