Voters approved a lottery for Indiana in November 1988 by a 62 percent majority, and the Lottery Act was signed into law in May 1989. Ticket sales began with a bang – literally – on October 13, 1989, as a cannon was fired at Pan American Plaza in Indianapolis to celebrate the launch of the Hoosier Lottery. Within 24 hours, 8.19 million Hoosier Millionaire scratch tickets were sold.
Some two weeks later, the Hoosier Millionaire TV show made its debut, and the first million dollar prize was awarded in early December.
The Lottery’s first draw game, Lotto Cash, began in April 1990, followed by the daily numbers games Daily 3 and Daily 4 in July. In October, the multistate Lotto*America was introduced; after that game morphed into Powerball, the Hoosier Lottery holds the distinction of having sold more winning Powerball jackpot tickets than any other participating lottery.
The Hoosier Lottery has a diverse lineup of draw games in its current portfolio, including Powerball, Mega Millions, Hoosier Lotto (and its companion game Tag 6), Mix & Match, Quick Draw, Daily 3, Daily 4 and Lucky 5. And in addition to scratch games, pulltabs are also available.
The Lottery’s early success allowed it to repay the $6 million startup loan to the state within the first year. Its mission has never changed – to return maximum net income to the state in a socially responsible manner. Lottery proceeds benefit three primary programs:

• The Build Indiana Fund, which helps offset residents’ motor vehicle excise taxes
• The pension and disability funds for retired Hoosier police officers and firefighters.
• The pension fund for retired teachers.