Ohio - Classic Lotto

Classic Lotto

Classic Lotto is a popular state lottery game operated by the Ohio Lottery Commission.

Draws take place three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 19:05 local time. Draw results are published on the official Ohio Lottery website at 20:00 local time, with ticket sales ending at 19:00 on draw days and resuming again after the results are published.

Classic Lotto entry costs $1.00.

To enter, choose six numbers between 1 and 49,or select an Auto Pick to play with six randomly generated numbers.

Participants can also play KICKER for an extra $1.00 per Classic Lotto line, with a randomly generated six-digit number being added to the Classic Lotto ticket. Players win the $100,000 jackpot by matching all six numbers in the order they are drawn.

Jackpot

Classic Lotto has a guaranteed minimum jackpot of $1 million.

There is no rollover or jackpot cap, and when the jackpot rolls over it increases by a minimum of $100,000 per draw.

The biggest ever Classic Lotto winning jackpot was $73.3 million on June 14, 2014.

Odds and Prizes

The odds of winning the Classic Lotto jackpot are 1 in 13,983,816.

Players can win Classic Lotto prizes at four different tiers, with overall odds of 1 in 54 of winning a prize.

Payout and Taxes

Players have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim their winnings.

The jackpot is available as a cash lump sum or as annual payments; however, players who choose a lump sum will only receive 50% of the advertised jackpot before tax, whereas players who choose the annual payment will receive the jackpot in equal amounts over 30 years. Jackpot winners must notify the Ohio Lottery Commission within 60 days if they wish to take cash, which automatically defaults to annual payments.

Lottery prizes in Ohio are subject to 4% state tax and 25% federal tax.

Who Can Play Classic Lotto?

Classic Lotto players must be at least 18 years of age.

Tickets are on sale from authorized lottery retailers across Ohio, but are not currently available on the official Ohio Lottery website.

Classic Lotto is not available to play on Lottery Agent websites either, but the Ohio Lottery Commission is considering online sales and opening up Classic Lotto to players around the world.

History of Classic Lotto

Classic Lotto was launched on January 22, 2007, when the Ohio Lottery Commission decided to provide players with a traditional-style lottery game to complement other games available in Ohio.