History
The Lottery games have entertained and amused Commonwealth players for decades. The Lottery has grown and adapted to the ever-changing demands of Massachusetts and its residents.
The legislature transferred supervision of Bingo (Beano) from the Department of Public Safety to the State Lottery Commission. This Division later became known as Charitable Gaming.
The Numbers Game was introduced.
The first Lotto game in the country was introduced. The game was cancelled after only 13 weeks due to lack of popularity.
The lottery went on-line for the first time.
Mass Millions was introduced.
Mass Cash was introduced, with a prize of $100,000.
The Lottery marked its 20th anniversary with an outdoor celebration at Faneuil Hall, where the first drawing of “The Big Money Game” took place.
In an effort to enhance its existing games, the Lottery launched a new TV game show called Bonus Bonanza. The show aired through 1998.
The Massachusetts State Lottery installed a new, state-of-the-art, $60 million computer system from Digital Technologies. The project involved a nearly simultaneous conversion to new terminals at almost 6000 retail locations.
The Lottery’s first-ever, comprehensive anti-litter campaign called The Clean Fun Sweepstakes was initiated. The program, which allowed players to submit $10 in non-winning instant tickets for a chance to win up to $100,000, resulted in the recycling of 40 to 50 million non-winning instant tickets. Or more than 85 tons of paper. Not too shabby.
The Lottery’s first broad advertising campaign since 1997 was
launched. The new campaign featured TV, radio, and print that
specifically promoted our multi-state Mega Millions game.
In May 1974, Massachusetts became the first state to sell Instant Lottery
Tickets as an alternative to the weekly jackpot game. “The Instant
Game” was the first instant ticket, with a top instant prize of
$10,000. There were also three monthly drawings in the Instant Game, for
$100,000 and $1,000/year for life.
The following document contains details on products, sales and historical events that have happened over the past 30 years. It is very helpful for students doing research projects or even for players that want to learn more about the Lottery.
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