There are so many weird and wonderful types of lotteries available around the world today. This makes the lottery industry more exciting and encourages more players to get in on the fun and try their luck. However, it may make some players nostalgic for a plain and straightforward lottery draw—like back in the good ole days. In this Ohio Classic Lotto review, we will look at a lottery that takes us back to when lottery draws began and brings us a taste of times gone by.
History
The Ohio Lottery Commission was started way back in 1973. The commission first started ticket sales in August of that year and has since gone on to run a variety of lottery games that cater to the needs of just about every lottery player.
On January 22, 2007, the lottery decided to do things old school and launched a new lottery called Ohio Classic Lotto. This game soon became an instant success by reminding people exactly what a simple lottery should be—while still incorporating a twist.
How to Play Ohio Classic Lotto
Playing Ohio Classic Lotto is incredibly simple. The game uses a simple, single 6/49 matrix. What this means is that to play, you will need to select six unique numbers. These numbers must be drawn from a number pool ranging from 1 to 49. Alternatively, if you would instead not choose your own numbers, there is a quick pick option available that will allow a random number generator to select your numbers on your behalf.
Once your numbers have been selected, you will need to decide whether you would like to shake this traditional lottery up by adding the bonus Kicker option. Enabling this option allows your numbers to be used again in a second Kicker draw that takes place after the main draw—meaning you have an even better chance at winning some cash.
If you would like to play with the Kicker option, a single ticket with one number sequence will cost you $2 ($1 for the main draw and an additional $1 for the Kicker add-on).
Odds of Winning
The odds of winning the Ohio Classic Lotto jackpot are 1 in 13,983,816, which are pretty decent when considering the minimum jackpot is $1 million. Although the odds of winning the Kicker jackpot are much better at 1 in 1,000,000, the main jackpot has no rollover limit.
The overall odds for winning a prize from one of the four prize tiers in the main draw are 1 in 54. The odds for winning any prize from any of the five Kicker prize tiers are 1 in 100.
Ohio Classic Lotto Payout Chart – Main Draw
# of Matched Numbers
Prize
Odds of Winning
6 of 6
Jackpot*
1 in 13,983,816
5 of 6
$1,500
1 in 54,201
4 of 6
$70
1 in 1,032
3 of 6
$2
1 in 57
*As mentioned above, the minimum jackpot starts at $1 million. There is a guaranteed addition of $100,000 each time that the jackpot does not rollover.
Ohio Classic Lotto Payout Chart – Kicker Draw
# Of Matched Numbers
Prize
Odds of Winning
6 of 6
$100,000
1 in 1,000,000
5 of 6
$5,000
1 in 111,111
4 of 6
$1,000
1 in 11,111
3 of 6
$100
1 in 1,111
2 of 6
$10
1 in 111
Drawing Time
The lottery holds three draws each week. These take place at approximately 7:05 PM (EDT) every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The Kicker draw takes place directly after the main draw on each of these days.
The results of each draw are posted on the official lottery website shortly after 8:00 PM (EDT). A video of the live drawing may also be accessed on the lottery website.
Biggest Jackpots
The largest jackpot ever paid out by the lottery occurred on June 14, 2014. The lucky winner walked away with a whopping $73.3 million. However, the average jackpot is around $14.88 million.
Payout Options
As with any lottery that allows the jackpot to grow to the extent that Ohio Classic Lotto does, there are two payout options available to winners. The first is a cash lump sum, which comes heavily penalised: you will only receive 50% of the stated jackpot if you choose it.
The second option is a 30-year annuity payment that will pay out equal amounts of the total winning jackpot over the span of 30 years. This option is the preferred option, as it gives you access to the total stated jackpot and ensures that you don’t lose your entire winning amount too quickly.
Taxes
Unfortunately, any winnings over the $5,000 mark are subject to both state and federal taxes in Ohio. The state will withhold 4% of your winnings for state tax. In addition to this, a further 25% will be withheld for federal tax. This brings the total percentage that is paid in tax to a ridiculous 29%.
How to Play Ohio Classic Lotto Online
At the time of this review, plans are being discussed by the Ohio Lottery Commission to make their games available online through their own website and via other online lottery websites. However, no progress has yet been made. This means that the only way to play the lottery currently is to purchase a physical ticket from an authorised lottery dealer within the state of Ohio.
Ohio Classic Lotto – Is It Worth Playing?
Ohio Classic Lotto’s jackpots tend to roll over quite often and have grown to some rather impressive amounts. Not only does this lottery give us a taste of history by offering a simple lottery game that we love, but it is enhanced by a great add-on in the form of the Kicker draw. That being said, the heavy taxes and fact that it’s not easily playable online prevents it from being among our favourite games.
User Reviews and Comments (1)
Danny R.
3.5/5
This seem like a good loto game, why not avayabul online??
Ohio Classic Lotto Review
This seem like a good loto game, why not avayabul online??