The Tennessee Lottery

The Tennessee lottery is available at over 4,700 retailers, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding a place to play the lottery in Tennessee. The Tennessee lottery awards nearly $2 billion in prize money. Keep in mind, however, that state law requires all lottery tickets to be purchased in-person, and tickets can only be bought with cash. You must also be at least 18 years of age to play any lottery game.

If you are fortunate enough to win the Tennesse lottery, you can claim any prize under $600 by mail or at the lottery’s participating retailers. Prizes ranging from $600 to $199,999 must be claimed at one of the four district offices or the lottery headquarters. Powerball prizes with a value of $99,999 and all other prizes with a value of $200,000 or above must be claimed at the state lottery headquarters.

If you win one of the major Tennessee lottery drawings, you can choose to receive a lump sum payment or get your prize money paid to you over a period of years. If you happen to pass away before all the money is paid, you can pass on any remaining annuity payments to your heirs.

On the downside, Tennessee law requires the state to disclose the name, state and town of Tennessee lottery winners if such a request is made. In other words, if you become a millionaire, expect cousins you haven’t seen in 20 years to come knocking on your door.

Tennessee Lottery Drawing Schedule

Powerball drawings are held each Wednesday and Saturday at 9:59pm CST. Lotto 5 drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:34pm CST. Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawings are held Monday through Saturday at 12:28pm CST and 6:28 pm.

Results of lottery drawings are broadcast on the following television stations:

• WTVC - ABC Channel 9 in Chattanooga
• WREG - CBS Channel 3 in Memphis
• WBBJ - ABC Channel 7 in Jackson
• WBIR - NBC Channel 10 in Knoxville
• WKRN - ABC Channel 2 in Nashville
• WKPT - ABC Channel 19 in the Tri-Cities Area

Tennessee Lottery Draw Breaks

Prior to a lottery drawing, there is a short period where tickets cannot be purchased. These are known as “draw breaks.”

For Cash 3 and Cash 4 drawings (held at 12:20 pm), the draw break begins at 12:10 pm. For evening drawings of the above games (which occur at 6:28 pm), the draw break begins at 6:10 pm.

Lotto 5 drawings, which are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:34 pm, have a draw break of 10:20 pm on the night of the drawing. Likewise, Powerball tickets can be purchased anytime until the 9 pm draw break on the night of the drawing.

Tickets for the Hot Trax Champions game may be purchased until seconds before the race begins.

Benefits of the Tennessee Lottery

Since 2004, lottery-funded scholarships have been available to students in Tennessee. In addition, lottery-funded grants are also available to students who attend technical schools. Lottery revenues also help out after-school programs and pre-kindergarten.

Lottery Games Available in Tennessee

Now that we know a little about the background and rules of the Tennessee lottery, let’s take a closer look at the games which are available to the consumer.

Instant Lottery Games in Tennessee

Also known as “scratch-offs,” these instant games can be purchased at participating retailers and played immediately. In most cases, the player simply scratches off a number of boxes to reveal whether or not he or she has won. In other cases, the player must choose the correct boxes to scratch off.

These games range in cost from $1 to $10, and the prize money also widely varies. Here are a few of the most popular games:

• Take 5 - Costs $5 to play with a top prize of $100,000.
• Big Money Maker - Costs $10 to play with a top prize of $250,000.
• Diamond White 8’s - Costs $5 to play with a top prize of $88,888.
• Weekly Grand - Costs $2 to play with a top prize of $52,000.
• Doubling Red 8’s - Costs $1 to play with a top prize of $8,800.
• Jumbo Bucks - Costs $2 to play with a top prize of $50,000.

Cash 3

To win at Cash 3, all you have to do is select the correct 3-digit number from 000 to 999. Playing the game costs 50 cents or $1. You can win up to $500. A few ways to win include:

Exact Order - Your numbers must match the winning numbers in the order drawn. This option costs 50 cents.

Any Order - Your numbers can match the winning numbers in any order. Costs 50 cents to play.

Exact or Any Order - Costs $1 to play, but your chances of winning are increased.

Cash 4

Win anywhere from $100 to $5,000 by choosing a 4-digit number from 0000 to 9999. Each play costs either 50 cents or $1. There are 13 options on how to play the numbers.

Lotto 5

This game only costs $1 to play, and drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights at 10:34 pm CST. To play, all you have to do is select 5 numbers which you believe will be drawn. The more numbers you guess correctly, the more money that you will win.

Tennessee Powerball

This is a multi-state lotto game which allows players to win one of nine cash prizes. There’s even a multi-million dollar jackpot! Other prizes range from $3 to $200,000. Powerball drawings are held each Wednesday and Saturday at 9:59 pm CST. The cost to play is either $1 or $2, depending on which options you choose. As always, you win by choosing a series of numbers and then hoping that the randomly drawn numbers match your own.

Million $ Madness

This game is not offered all the time, but is only held on select dates. Prior to the drawing, a limited number of tickets will be sold with a preset number. When the drawing is held, 106 tickets are drawn to determine the winners. The prizes include:

Four tickets will win $1 million each.
Two tickets will win $50,000 each.
One-hundred tickets will win $500 each.

Hot Trax Champions

NASCAR gained its popularity in the South, and this game proves it. Players watch an animated car race depicting a race between professional drivers. The winner of the race is determined randomly. Prizes for a $1 play range from $1 to a minimum jackpot of $25,000 (which increases until won). Races are held seven days a week from 5:05 am until 12:50 am (there‘s a new race every 5 minutes). These games can be found in most stores that sell lottery tickets.

You can wager $1, $2, $5, $10 or $15 on the race. To win, you need to try and predict which order the drivers will finish the race.

More Tennessee Lottery Information

For more information on the Tennessee lottery, you can visit http://www.tnlottery.com/. You can also call Player Services. They are available Monday through Friday from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. The number to call is 1-877-786-7529.