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Hot
Lotto
For a lottery game that’s really “hot,”
visit an authorized retailer in the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kansas,
Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, or
West Virginia and get in on the chance to win a cool million or more! Hot Lotto
jackpots start at $1 million and continue to grow until someone wins.
How to Play Hot
Lotto
To play Hot Lotto you simply pick five white numbers
from 1 to 39 and one orange “hot ball” number from 1-19. You also
have the choice of letting the computer pick all your numbers for you. Twice
each week, on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, 5 winning white numbers and one
winning orange “HOT ball” number will be drawn on the Hot Lotto
random number generator. You win the Hot Lotto jackpot if you match the first
five numbers drawn (in any order) plus the HOT ball, and the prize is available
as an annuity paid over 24 years (25 payments) or as a lump sum payment. You
win other cash prizes when you match correctly other Hot Lotto numbers drawn.
Check out the Hot Lotto Prizes and Odds page. Check out the Hot Lotto Prizes
and Odds page. Overall odds of winning a prize in this game are 1:16.
NEWS
'Hot Lotto'
The New High Jackpot Multi-State Game
CHARLESTON, WV
(March 25, 2002) -- "Hot Lotto" is the newest game in town, but
it’s helping to celebrate an older muscle behind the
West Virginia Lottery’s traditional
games, according to Lottery Director John Musgrave. "With
‘Powerball’ turning ten years old,
some of the MultiState members wanted to
introduce a companion game that would offer the same method of play, but with a
different prize structure. Now there’s something for everyone, the
popularity of a huge jackpot with higher odds of winning or a smaller one that
is easier to win," said Musgrave.
Musgrave noted that the last drawing for
"Rolldown" would be held April 6 to make
room for "Hot Lotto." Tickets for "Hot Lotto" go on sale April 7. The first
drawing is set for April 10. "Hot Lotto" drawings will be held every Wednesday
and Saturday following the "Powerball" drawings. Like "Rolldown," however, the
drawings will not be aired on television.
Asked to explain the new game,
Musgrave said that it should be easy for players to understand, "because
it’s basically a mini version of ‘Powerball.’"
He said
players would try to match five numbers drawn from one barrel and one ‘Hot
Ball’ drawn from a separate drawing barrel. "The difference is that the
first five numbers will be drawn from a field of 39 numbers instead of 49 and
the single "Hot Ball" number will be drawn from a field of 19 instead of
42."
Cash prizes range from $2 for matching only the "Hot Ball" to $10,000
for matching all five of the first set of numbers. Musgrave said the jackpot
would be won by matching all five of the numbers plus the "Hot Ball." As with
"Powerball," a "Hot Lotto" jackpot can be paid in one cash lump sum or in
annual payments over 25 years with accrued interest. Designed to grow, the
jackpot will be guaranteed at a minimum $1 million. The "Powerball" jackpot
starts at a guaranteed $10 million. Both those amounts are made in annuity
payments over 25 years. Musgrave said lump sum cash options are generally about
half of the annuity amount, depending on interest rates. "One key difference is
that with the cash payment, taxes are taken off the top at the time the prize
is claimed. With the annuity, taxes are taken from each year’s payment;
the player’s annual prize check represents part of the principle plus the
interest on their investment."
The odds of hitting the "Powerball" jackpot
are one in 80 million. Musgrave said the odds of hitting a "Hot Lotto" jackpot
are one in nearly 11 million. In addition to West Virginia, those offering "Hot
Lotto" include New Hampshire, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and South
Dakota.
SOURCE: West Virginia Lottery.
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