Washington's Lottery

Washington's Lottery is the lottery system for the U.S. state of Washington, run by the state government. Its games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Keno, Lotto, Hit 5, Match 4, Pick 3, and scratch games.

The bill (H.B. 1251) creating the lottery was passed by the state legislature in 1982 (House on June 30, 1982; Senate on July 1, 1982) and signed by governor John Spellman on July 16. Washington became the sixteenth state with a lottery and only the second in the Western U.S., joining Arizona.

It was launched four months later with a one-dollar scratch ticket game titled "Pot O'Gold Instant Lottery," which began on November 15, 1982. What is now Pick 3 began as Triple Choice in January 1984, and Lotto was launched six months later in July, with a weekly drawing on Saturday evening. A second Lotto drawing on Wednesday was added on November 18, 1987, and a third on Monday on February 14, 2005.