How long has the Ohio Lottery been around?
A. Ron Motil of Parma claims to be the “father of the Ohio Lottery”. He championed the legislation for the very first lottery drawing that took place back in 1974. Back then it was illegal to announce winning lottery numbers on radio or television. Dealers posted the winning numbers in their windows and airplans would fly around the city with “trailers” that showed the numbers. The Ohio legislators had to rescind the law so they could announce the winning numbers on radio and TV. The first Pick 3 drawing was on December 3, 1979. The first Pick 4 drawing was on April 9, 1981. Buckeye 5 was begun May 5, 1992. There have been several versions of the LOTTO drawings. A 47-number version with the KICKER began Jan 12, 1991. Today’s 49-number LOTTO began on July 15, 2000. And, of course, Ohio joined the MEGA-MILLIONS drawings on May 17, 2002.
