Montana’s Exclusive Sportsbook

Frequently Asked Questions

You have three options:

  • Use the official Montana State Lottery App. The app is available for free on both the App Store and Google Play Store. Just open the app and use your phone’s camera to scan the barcode on your ticket to instantly see if you’ve won.

     

  • Visit a Montana Lottery retailer. Most retailers have self-service scanners you can use to check your own tickets. You can also ask the store clerk to check it for you.

     

  • Check the official winning numbers online. You can compare the numbers on your ticket to the official winning numbers posted on the Montana Lottery website.

No. While the app is a convenient tool, you can still check your tickets in other ways, such as:

  • Scanning them at a self-service machine or asking a retailer to check them for you.
  • Comparing your numbers to the official winning numbers on the Montana Lottery website.
  •  

Prizes $600 and over cannot be claimed at a sales agent. They can only be claimed at the Lottery headquarters in Helena or by mailing the signed tickets with a claim form to the Lottery. If you are claiming a prize $600 and over, you must submit a clear photocopy of your driver’s license or another valid form of identification with this form. Valid forms of identification include a state-issued I.D. card, a military I.D., or a valid passport. If you have questions about other forms of acceptable identification, call us at 406.444.5825.

In-person claims are handled on a first come, first served basis between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (except state holidays).

We are required by law to withhold both state and federal taxes on certain levels of Lottery prizes.

For U.S. citizens furnishing Social Security Numbers, we are required to withhold 5.9% for Montana state tax and 24% for federal tax from any prize greater than $5,000.

However, there are other situations where the typical withholding requirements differ. Here’s the law:

We are always required to withhold 5.9% state tax on all prizes greater than $5,000.

We are required to withhold 24% federal tax on any prize $600 and over for U.S. citizens who don’t furnish Social Security Numbers or tax identification numbers.

For non–residents of the U.S., we must withhold 30% federal tax on any prize $600 and over.

At the end of the year, we mail each winner who has won $600 and over a W-2G form to use when filing his or her taxes.

In the case of a winner’s death, the Montana Lottery will continue to pay the annual payments, as scheduled, to the winner’s estate, trust, or persons named in his or her will. Neither the Lottery nor the state keep the money.

The Montana Lottery was passed by citizen’s initiative in 1986. We are an agency of state government. Our net revenue is transferred back to the State of Montana. Since July 1, 1995, all revenue the Montana Lottery returns to the State of Montana goes to the state’s General Fund. The General Fund provides money to programs for the general operation of state government.

Beginning in 2015, a portion of Montana Lottery proceeds also funds scholarships to Montana students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, healthcare and math (STEM) at Montana colleges and universities. Much more about the revenues of the Montana Lottery can be found on our Giving Back page.

The Montana Legislature has the sole authority to appropriate all state funds — including those contributed by the Montana Lottery.

For all Lotto games, you must claim your prize within six months of the drawing for which your winning play was eligible.

For all Scratch games, you must claim your prize within six months after the announced end of the game.

The Montana Lottery is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets. Protect yourself by signing the back of your tickets and include your address.

Remember: Lottery tickets are bearer instruments. Unless signed, anyone in possession of the ticket can file a claim.

Yes. Lotto drawings conducted by the Montana Lottery occur at our Helena headquarters. They are open to the public and members of the public are free to observe them. Individuals wishing to observe a Montana Lottery drawing should call 444-5825 to schedule your visit. Our building is secure environment and individuals will be accompanied by a member of our team during your visit.

You can also view live drawings on websites such as YouTube if it is streaming.

A Lottery game is a game of chance. To ensure the integrity of the Montana Lottery and its games, the printing of winning Scratch tickets in a game is done randomly. We cannot program winning tickets throughout a game without compromising integrity. There are always winners in a pack of tickets, but even within a pack of tickets, winning tickets are printed randomly.

All unclaimed prize money is transferred to the state’s General Fund.

Anyone 18 years or older may purchase a Montana Lottery ticket. All tickets must be purchased from licensed Montana Lottery sales agents.

Current drawing results are available from a variety of sources. You can find them:

  • On our website. Current winning numbers and past winning numbers for games are posted to our site.
  • On the Montana Lottery mobile app.
  • By calling (406) 444-5825.
  • From Montana Lottery sales agents.
  • Via email from the Player’s Club.
  • By watching the Powerball and Mega Millions drawing videos online.

Please note: While me make every effort to ensure the accuracy of winning numbers posted in the above sources, the official winning number list is maintained at the Montana Lottery. In the event of a discrepancy in the sources listed above, the official winning numbers list prevails. That list is open to the public and available by contacting the Montana Lottery.

Yes. We call this a multiple draw ticket. You can purchase Montana Cash, Lucky for Life, Powerball, Mega Millions and Lotto America tickets in advance for up to 24 consecutive drawings. Tickets for Big Sky Bonus can be purchased for up to seven consecutive draws.

Jackpot sizes are based on sales, and with Montana’s small population, there aren’t enough sales to generate the large jackpots many Montana players want.

No. U.S. postal regulations prohibit the purchase of Lottery tickets by mail.

No. The purchase of Lottery tickets from the Montana Lottery over the internet is not allowed.

Yes. Under Montana law, the name of a Montana Lottery winner is not public information and we do not release the names of our winners without the expressed permission of the winner, themselves. 

Some information about Montana Lottery wins are considered public, however; and for the purposes of being transparent to the Montana public, we do routinely release that public information. Such information includes:  the amount won, the sales agent location where the ticket was purchased, the winner’s community of residence and the game played, the date of the drawing (in the case of Lotto games) or the date the prize was claimed (in Scratch games). 

Nothing else about Montana Lottery wins is public. 

The numbers for Montana Cash, Montana Millionaire and Big Sky Bonus are selected by a Random Number Generator (RNG). An RNG is a standalone, secured computer that generates numbers in a random manner without human involvement. Our RNGs are independently examined and certified by an outside company. None of our RNGs are connected to the Internet. They are housed in a locked, sealed, monitored room at our Helena headquarters with glass panels so they can be observed, under the internal control of our security department.

Montana Lottery tickets are sold by more than 1,100 local Montana businesses.

Any business with an active Montana Lottery sales agent license is legally authorized to sell tickets. This includes Jackpocket, Mido Lotto and TuLotero. Contact them directly to learn more about their services.

As of 2023, Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots both start at $20 million. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, they started at $40 million. The Montana Lottery does not set the starting jackpots of multi-state games; whether or not they return to $40 million in the future is at the discretion of their respective governing bodies.

In Montana, the price of a Powerball ticket is $3.00, and that includes Power Play in the base price. We wanted to ensure all of our players had the opportunity to get the multiplier benefits that Power Play provides. Power Play multiplies non-jackpot prizes by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 times! Power Play is not included in the base price in most states. We know our players love to win, so we also offer Double Play as the add-on option in Montana. Double Play is an exciting addition, that has a separate drawing with a top cash prize of $10 million. Double Play is just an additional $1.00 per play.

The Montana Lottery starts and ends Scratch games according to a schedule we’ve established based on market demand and our decades of experience. We release new games every month, which our licensed sales agents order and then load into a dispenser or self-service machine once a spot is available. Games remain available for purchase until they’re sold out or until a specific amount of time has passed. 

By law, the Lottery is required to hold winnings for two reasons:

1) Because the winner owes unpaid child support (MCA 23-7-312) and/or

2) Because the winner owes unpaid unemployment insurance overpayments, taxes, penalties, or interest (MCA 39-51-3208)

In these circumstances, the Lottery will verify and hold the unpaid amount(s). If winnings exceed the unpaid amount(s), the winner may receive a partial payment of winnings.

Public Information Requests

As of 2023, all public information requests will be processed by the Office of Public Information Requests. To learn more and submit a request, go to opir.mt.gov.

Please note state law prohibits the release of information that may be used to identify winners unless the winner signed a release at the time of claiming the prize.

Latest Drawings and Jackpots

(More drawing results can be found in the individual game pages.)

Powerball

9
12
22
41
61
25
x4

Powerball Double Play

12
19
26
51
62
18

MT Cash w/ Max Cash

1
9
12
26
36

Mega Millions

7
12
30
40
69
17

Lotto America

12
13
25
40
52
9
x5

Lucky For Life

8
10
17
23
33
2

Big Sky Bonus

2
9
15
23
16

Powerball

$1,000,000,000

Powerball Double Play

$10,000,000

MT Cash w/ Max Cash

$595,184

Mega Millions

$277,000,000

Lotto America

$2,450,000

Lucky for Life

WIN $1000/DAY FOR LIFE

Big Sky Bonus

$12,305

Get our new lottery app to scan and check your tickets!