Region
8 lotto games
Previously aired on ABC-affiliated stations statewide until 2002
Televised history[edit]
The Money Game[edit]
Until 2003, a game show produced by the Wisconsin Lottery and Hearst-Argyle Television, called Wisconsin Lottery Money Game, was aired weekly on the Lottery's network of stations. Contestants won a chance to play the game (and $100) if a scratch ticket contained three "TV" symbols; if not chosen for the main game, would win at least $500 from a pool of money split between them and the other 54 players not chosen. Five contestants would play the game, consisting of four or five rounds where they would choose cash prizes hidden behind the letters Wisconsin Lottery Moneygame, which were set up in the style of the Wheel of Fortune gameboard, but with reversed play. Here, contestants hit a plunger to light up one of the word rows, then picked one letter in that word. The letter was turned over to reveal the prize, which in the last round was a maximum of $7,500; there were no letters with penalties where money was taken away. The winner of the main game went to the bonus round, where they spun a wheel which had alternating values of $25,000 and $50,000. During the show, new instant games were showcased, along with lottery news, and a second-chance drawing of losing mailed-in tickets (instant and online) was conducted.
The program was taped at WISN-TV in Milwaukee. All contestants (each could bring a guest 18 or older) living outside of the Milwaukee area received a two-night stay at the Grand Milwaukee Hotel (later the Four Points Sheraton-Mitchell Field, which closed at the end of 2012.) for their appearance. Hosts were Mark Johnson and Parker Drew; the show's hostesses were Mary Christine and Lori Minetti. The show's format was changed to a new version known as the Super Money Game in mid-2002, involving more contests with a smaller contestant pool, equivalent to a lower-cost version of the Hoosier Lottery's Hoosier Millionaire.
Pre-Wisconsin Lottery[edit]
The federally recognized Oneida Nation of Wisconsin sold the first "modern" lottery tickets in the state in the 1980s at their reservation near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Before the Wisconsin Lottery began in 1988, some players who did not want to drive to Illinois tried their luck at stores on the reservation. The main game offered by the Oneida Nation was Big Green, which began as a pick-6-of-36 jackpot game.
The Oneida Nation also offered a televised bingo game program on Green Bay stations in the mid-to-late 1980s, which was in the form of a caller reading the numbers on the bottom of the screen, with the lighted number board on the top portion. Winners could redeem winning cards at the tribe's bingo hall. It has since established a full-service gaming casino, known as the Oneida Bingo & Casino, which includes hotel and conference facilities.
Current lottery-offered online games[edit]
Pick 3[edit]
Pick 3 is drawn twice daily. It began on September 21, 1992. Pick 3 draws three digits 0 through 9. Prizes and options vary.
Pick 4[edit]
Pick 4 began on September 15, 1997 and is drawn twice daily. It draws a four-digit number in the style of Pick 3.
All or Nothing[edit]
All or Nothing is drawn twice daily. It draws 11 numbers from 1 through 22, with the top $100,000 prize being won by either matching all eleven numbers, or having none of the eleven drawn numbers; smaller prizes involve matching 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 or 10 numbers. Minimum play is $2, and the game launched on April 7, 2019.
Badger 5[edit]
Badger 5 is drawn nightly. It draws 5 numbers from 1 through 31. Badger 5 jackpots begin at $10,000, increasing by at least $1,000 per drawing if not won. Games cost $1. Badger 5 began on February 17, 2003.
SuperCash![edit]
SuperCash! also is nightly. It began on February 4, 1991. SuperCash! draws 6 numbers 1 through 39 (previously from 1 through 36). Players get 2 sets of numbers for each $1 game they play. an even number of games must be played. The top prize is $350,000; initially, the top prize was $250,000.
Wisconsin's Megabucks[edit]
Wisconsin's Megabucks (once known as "Wisconsin's Very Own Megabucks" to distinguish itself from the "local" name of Lotto*America), is drawn Wednesdays and Saturdays. It draws 6 numbers 1 through 49. Players get 2 sets of numbers for each $1 game they play.
There have been two incarnations of this game, the first incarnation beginning August 10, 1989 and being replaced by Powerball on April 19, 1992 (which was the year Lotto*America had its final drawing), and the second and current incarnation beginning two months later on June 18, 1992.