About Us

History Of The Kansas Lottery
Millionaires
Lottery Sales And Transfers By Fiscal Year

About The Kansas Lottery

In November of 1986, 64 percent of Kansas voters approved a constitutional amendment authorizing the creation of a state lottery. The Kansas Legislature passed the "Kansas Lottery Act" in 1987, and the Kansas Lottery was established. The mission of the Kansas Lottery is to produce the maximum amount of revenue possible for the State of Kansas while insuring the integrity of all games. Last fiscal year (FY07) the Lottery produced record sales of $240 million and transferred $71 million to the State.

The Kansas Lottery sells $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20 scratch tickets and $1 and $2 instant pull tab games. In addition, Kansas Lottery players enjoy Powerball, Hot Lotto, Super Kansas Cash, Pick 3, 2by2, Keno and Kansas Hold'Em online games. Kansas Lottery products are sold at approximately 1,900 retail locations.

Below you will find a timeline of significant events in the history of the Lottery, as well as the individuals who have served as Executive Director, and a listing of yearly sales, prize payouts and transfers to the state. Plus, you can see a list of the people who have become millionaires playing the Kansas Lottery!

Kansas Lottery Executive Directors

• Ed Van Petten 10/00 - Present
• Gregory P. Ziemak 12/93 - 10/00
• Ralph W.E. Decker 3/91 - 8/93
• Gerald F. Simpson 9/89 - 3/91
• Larry Montgomery 5/87 - 8/89

History Of The Kansas Lottery

Nov. 11, 1986 - 64 percent of voters say "yes" to the establishment of a state lottery in Kansas.

Sept. 16, 1987 - Kansas, Missouri, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Oregon, Iowa, and Washington, D.C. form the Multi-State Lottery Association and the Lotto America game.

Nov. 12, 1987 - Ticket sales begin statewide with kick-off events held in 21 cities. Sales of the first instant game, Up and Away, were $7 million the first week.

Feb. 3, 1988 - Lotto America ticket sales begin.

June 2, 1988 - Cash Lotto sales begin.

June 8, 1988 - The Lottery repays the initial $2.8 million start-up loan to the state a year before it was due.

Oct. 1, 1990 - The Lottery launches a new Keno game with drawings on Wednesday and Saturday.

Jan. 21, 1992 - The Pick 3 daily game is introduced.

April 19, 1992 - Powerball replaces Lotto America.

Oct. 29, 1992 - The Kansas Lottery launches Club Keno.

Nov. 14, 1994 - The Lottery institutes the instant ticket validation system, allowing players to cash winning tickets up to and including $599 at any Kansas Lottery retailer.

May 17, 1995 - The Kansas Legislature approves and the governor signs the renewal of the Lottery until July 2002.

Aug. 18, 1996 - The Kansas Cash game is introduced, significantly modifying the Cash Lotto game.

April 14, 1997 - The first $5 instant ticket, Win for Life, debuts.

Nov. 2, 1997 - An enhanced version of the Powerball game is introduced.

March 30, 1998 - The daily Cash 4 Life game premiers.

July 18, 1999 - Pick 3 changes to a daily game. Sunday drawings are added.

Jan. 2000 - The total amount of proceeds from Lottery sales transferred to the State of Kansas surpasses $500 million.

Sept. 7, 2000 - The Cash 4 Life online game ends. During the 2 1/2 years the game was offered, 21 players, including three Kansans -- won the top prize of $1,000 a week for life.

Oct. 16, 2000 - Winners Take All, a Kansas-only, online game is introduced. It differs from other games because all the prize money is distributed through each drawing.

March 7, 2001 - The first Powerball drawing to include the Power Play multiplier number takes place. Players who choose the Power Play option can increase their prizes (excluding the jackpot) up to five-fold.

March 12, 2001 - The Kansas Legislature passes legislation to extend the Kansas Lottery to 2008.

Oct. 8, 2001 - The Kansas Lottery becomes the first lottery in the world to sell variable-imaged bar-coded pull tabs for inventory and security control.

Feb. 17, 2002 - Super Kansas Cash game begins as an enhanced version of Kansas Cash.

June 2, 2002 - The Kansas Lottery launches 2by2, a new Multi-State Lottery Association game that is played six days a week, Monday through Saturday.

Oct. 2002 - Powerball Instant Millionaire Game Show episodes begin. Kansas joins 13 other state lotteries in participating. Second-chance drawings are held for trips to Las Vegas and a chance to win $1 million on the weekly show. A Kansas player is on every show.

Oct. 6, 2002 - The Powerball game matrix changes; a Match 5 Bonus Prize is added.
Oct. 6, 2002 - The first $10 instant ticket, Holiday Wishes, debuts.

May 22, 2003 - The $2 Sunflower Salute instant game is launched by Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Proceeds from this ticket, and the $1 Veteran's Cash game, benefit Veterans' programs and National Guard Scholarships.

Sept. 2, 2003 - Governor Sebelius and the Kansas Lottery announce a partnership with Cabela's, the World's Foremost Outdoor Outfitter, and the new Cabela's Cash instant game.

Dec. 5, 2003 - The Kansas Lottery announces a partnership with Dodge City Steak Co. and launches the $2 Kansas Lottery Beef 'N' Bucks instant game.

Jan. 14, 2004 - The Lottery joins the AMBER Alert Program for recovery of abducted children.

May 3, 2004 - The Lottery launches eScratch, the first interactive Internet game of its kind in the world.

June 6, 2004 - The Kansas Lottery sponsors the ARCA RE/MAX Kansas Lottery $200 Grand race at Kansas Speedway.

June 14, 2004 - The Lottery announces its partnership with the Kansas Sesquicentennial Commission to launch a $1 instant game called 150 Years of Kansas Territory.

July 9, 2004 - The Lottery announces that lottery sales in Fiscal Year 2004 reached an all-time high at nearly $224.2 million.

Nov. 14, 2004 - A second $2 Cabela's instant ticket is launched in partnership with Cabela's, the World's Foremost Outdoor Outfitter.

Jan. 24, 2005 - Lt. Governor John Moore and Lottery officials launch the $5 Cobalt Splash 'n Cash instant ticket, with a $77,000 Cobalt 220 boat and trailer package as the grand prize in a second-chance drawing.

May 16, 2005 - eScratch is re-launched with higher prizes payouts, improved odds, and more interactive games.

June 23, 2005 - The Kansas Crossword instant ticket is launched. It is the first ticket to feature the "Kansas, as big as you think" state brand image tagline, the result of a strategic alliance formed by the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Lottery.

July 1, 2005 - The Lottery hosts its first-ever Customer Appreciation Day at Kansas Speedway.

July 2, 2005 - The Lottery sponsors the ARCA RE/MAX Kansas Lottery $200 Grand race at Kansas Speedway for the second year in a row.

Aug. 28, 2005 - The Powerball game changes. The starting jackpot jumps to $15 million; second-tier prize doubles to $200,000; third-tier prize doubles $10,000; two numbers are added, bringing the number of white balls to 55.

Sept. 8-9, 2005 – The Lottery commemorates the release of the new Kansas quarter with a $1 “Heads or Tails” instant scratch game and is also a major sponsor of a Kansas Quarter Launch Ceremony featuring Kansas Governor Sebelius held at the State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson.

Sept. 18, 2005 - For the first time, two vehicles (Ford Escape Hybrid SUVs) are given away in a single drawing at the Kansas State Fair.

Oct. 5, 2005 - A group of Beloit Knights of Columbus members share a $200,000 prize for matching the first five numbers in the Powerball drawing. The ticket is the first "Match 5" winner in Kansas since the game change.

Oct. 6, 2005 - The Made in Kansas Malibu ticket is the first in a new family of instant tickets celebrating the great products that are "Made in Kansas" and the people who make them. Chevrolet Malibus are manufactured in Kansas City, Kan.

Oct. 19, 2005 - A group of 44 winners, most of them members of the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard, share an $853,492 Match 5 Bonus Prize in Powerball. It is the first time in history of the game that the Match 5 Bonus Prize has been used.

Oct. 31, 2005 – A single mother of a teenage son, Pamela Dye of Meade, Kan., becomes the Kansas Lottery’s newest millionaire by matching all six numbers in the Super Kansas Cash drawing and winning a $1,144,124 jackpot.

Nov. 21, 2005 – The Kansas Lottery extends its Keno hours by an hour, with the last drawing now being held at 1:52 a.m. instead of 12:52 a.m.

Jan. 4, 2006 – Lottery officials Kansas Chopper, the second Made in Kansas ticket promoting Kansas business, industry and tourism. Developed in partnership with Big Dog Motorcycles in Wichita, the game offers a 2006 Big Dog Motorcycle as the grand prize in a second-chance drawing.

Jan. 27, 2006 – The Lottery holds a news conference at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson to launch a $2 instant game called Golf Giveaway. The second-chance grand prizes in this Made in Kansas game are 25 trips for two to the U.S. Senior Open Championship at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan., to be held in July 2006.

Feb. 18, 2006 – Linda Cheever of Abilene wins a Match 5 Bonus prize of $667,142 when her ticket matches the first five numbers in the Powerball drawing. The Match 5 Bonus option kicked in when the Powerball jackpot hit a new record high of $365 million.

March 14, 2006 – The Kansas Lottery and Kansas Speedway announce the expansion of their unique partnership with the Lottery’s first-time sponsorship of the Kansas Lottery Indy 300 to be held July 2. The 2006 racing season also marks the third year for the Lottery’s sponsorship of the ARCA RE/MAX Series Kansas Lottery $200 Grand.

March 15, 2006 – The Kansas Lottery introduces players to its newest lotto game by giving away thousands of free Hot Lotto tickets at retail locations throughout the state. In Hot Lotto, jackpots start at $1 million, and players pick five numbers from 1 to 39 and one “hot ball” from 1 to 19. Kansas becomes the ninth Lottery jurisdiction to offer Hot Lotto.

April 28, 2006 – Governor Sebelius and Lottery officials hold a news conference at the State Capitol to launch Home on the Range, another Made in Kansas instant game offering players a chance to win one of two RangeRunner ATVs made by TerraTrack in Clay Center, Kan. Governor Sebelius hops on a RangeRunner herself to demonstrate its operation.

May 3, 2006 – Two sisters from Wyandotte County, playing identical numbers, each win a $400,000 Powerball prize when their tickets match the first five numbers drawn. The sisters paid an extra $1 for the Power Play option, and doubled their winnings.

May 4, 2006 – The Kansas Lottery launches two Veterans Benefit tickets to provide direct funding for Kansas Veterans’ programs and Kansas National Guard scholarships.

May 16, 2006 – The Kansas Lottery announces its partnership with the newly formed Kansas Association of Rodeo Committees and its sponsorship of the first-ever Kansas Lottery Championship Rodeo Series.

May 26, 2006 – Three players win grand prizes in the Lottery’s Texas Hold’Em instant game second-chance drawing. Included in the prize each winner receives is a trip for two to a World Series of Poker satellite tournament and a chance to play in the tournament.

June 1, 2006 – The Kansas Lottery introduces the Electronic Game Card, an electronic version of an instant scratch ticket. The battery-powered Super 7’s is the Lottery’s first $20 instant game. Instead of scratching a paper ticket, a player reveals points as he moves through a series of electronic plays.

June 19, 2006 – The Lottery starts the first-ever Kansas Lottery Players Club allowing players the option of receiving e-mails containing winning numbers and jackpots, game updates, promotions and more, directly from the Lottery.

June 30, 2006 – The Kansas Lottery ends the 2006 fiscal year with total sales of $235 million, making FY06 the Lottery’s best year ever. Instant tickets and pull tabs were significant factors in the higher sales, along with jackpot-driven increases in Powerball. The Kansas Lottery transferred $67.1 million to the State in FY06.

Aug. 18, 2006 – The Lottery introduces Kansas Made, another Made in Kansas instant game developed to help promote Kansas business and tourism. The second-chance grand prize in the game is a Saturn Aura, manufactured by GM in Kansas City, Kan.

Sept. 24, 2006 – The Kansas Lottery is the first lottery in the world to offer its players an on-line game modeled after the very popular Texas Hold‘Em poker game. Called Kansas Hold‘Em, the new game is being test marketed at a limited number of Lottery retailers in Kansas.

Sept. 27, 2006 – A Kansas resident hits the Powerball jackpot, winning $15 million dollars by matching all five numbers and the Powerball. The sole winner of the top Powerball prize, is a government worker from the Topeka area.

Oct. 12, 2006 – The first Made in Kansas instant game to feature a tourism area of Kansas is launched. Flint Hills Treasures offers players a chance to win one of five Flint Hills trips, each with a different theme, in a second-chance drawing. The game is developed in partnership with the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition.

Oct. 19, 2006 – The Lottery launches the Cool Cars instant game. Featuring four custom golf cars manufactured by Swartz Motorsports in Strong City, Kan. as second-chance drawing grand prizes, Cool Cars is also a Made in Kansas game.

Dec. 4, 2006 - Tammy Shuler, 41, of Topeka wins a record Super Kansas Cash jackpot of $3.14 million by matching all six numbers in the Dec. 4, 2006 drawing. After taxes, Shuler takes home a prize of $2.2 million!

Dec. 14, 2006 - Luxury & Loot is launched. The $5 instant game is the second scratch ticket the Lottery has developed with Cobalt Boats. The value of the Cobalt 222 boat and trailer grand prize is $95,000.

Jan. 11, 2007 - In honor of its 20th anniversary, the Lottery launches $200,000 Celebration, its first $20 scratch ticket. The game will make it possible for one player to win $200,000 and 19 players to win $20,000 following a second-chance drawing and a grand prize event.

Feb. 22, 2007 - Governor Sebelius helps the Lottery launch a $2 instant ticket dedicated to The Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride, the bulk of which will take place in Kansas in September of 2007.

Feb. 24, 2007 - A player from Kansas City, Kan., wins TWO $200,000 prizes after matching the first five numbers in the Powerball drawing with two identical tickets. He bought the tickets at retailers right next to each other, and picked the winning numbers himself.

March 29, 2007 - The Kansas Legislature passes Senate Bill 66, extending the Lottery until 2022 and creating the Kansas Expanded Lottery Act authorizing the Lottery, on behalf of the State, to own and operate four destination casinos. Electronic gaming machines will also be allowed at three parimutuel racetracks.

April 12, 2007 - Governor Kathleen Sebelius signs Senate Bill 66 into law.

May 24, 2007 - In partnership with Land Pride of Salina and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the Lottery launches Open Season, a $2 Made in Kansas instant game in which three grand prize winners will take home Land Pride Trekers and lifetime Kansas hunting/fishing licenses.

May 30, 2007 - The Kansas and Iowa lotteries announce they will become the first in the U.S. to offer a joint instant-scratch game. Players in both states will buy tickets and compete for larger prizes than the two states have traditionally been able to offer on their own. "Midwest Millions" is scheduled to launch in September 2007.

June 4, 2007 - Eddy Young, 55, of Latham, Kan., pays an extra dollar to purchase Power Play, matches five numbers, and becomes the first Kansas Powerball player to win $1 million without hitting the Powerball jackpot!

June 30 , 2007 - In its 20th anniversary year, the Kansas Lottery hits an all-time record for sales. Total sales in FY07 were $240 million, up more than two percent from the previous year, which also set a record. The Lottery transferred $71 million to the State in FY07, the highest transfer in a single year since the Lottery started selling tickets.

July 4, 2007 - The first Hot Lotto ticket sold in Kansas to win a jackpot is claimed by Lori Boyle of Independence. The 42-year-old mother of two wins $12.9 million in the July 4, 2007 Hot Lotto drawing.

August 11, 2007 - Larry and Marta Ketler of Goodland match all five numbers plus the Cashball to win the Super Kansas Cash jackpot of $1.58 million. The Ketlers became millionaires after buying a ticket for the game every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

September 16, 2007 - A new bride from Haysville, Angela DeThample, wins a 2007 Ford Edge when her entry was drawn from approximately 216,000 entries in the Get an Edge with Super Kansas Cash drawing held at the State Fair.

September 30, 2007 - After test marketing Kansas Hold'Em at a limited number of Lottery retailers for a year, the Lottery takes its new online monitor game statewide.

November 9, 2007 - The Lottery celebrates its 20th anniversary by announcing that it has transferred more than $1 billion to the State in the 20 years since the first ticket was sold.

November 9, 2007 - To celebrate its anniversary, the Lottery brings 20 players to Topeka to scratch giant instant tickets and compete for $580,000 in cash prizes. The winner of the largest prize, $200,000, is Wanita Johnson of Hutchinson.

December 18, 2007 - The Lottery announces it is discontinuing sales of eScratch at the end of the year because of disappointing sales.

January 2, 2008 - A McPherson resident claims a $1.082 Super Kansas Cash jackpot he won by matching all numbers in the Nov. 3, 2007 drawing.

January 3, 2008 - This date brings a new tripler prize option to the Hot Lotto game. Called Hot Lotto SIZZLER, it gives players who spend an extra dollar per play the chance to triple thier non-jackpot winnings.

January 24, 3008 - Jeffrey Brin of Olathe wins the largest instant prize in lottery history, claiming a $100,000 prize on a $20 Golden Millions scratch ticket.

February 22, 2008 - The top prize in the 2by2 game increases to $22,000, plus players have a chance to double ALL 2by2 prizes playing 2by2 Tuesday. To qualify for 2by2 Tuesday double prizes, a player must purchase a ticket of 7 consecutive days or multiples of 7 consecutive plays.

March 13, 2008 - The Kansas Lottery, along with three other state agencies and the Kansas Coalition on Problem Gambling, announce the formation of the new Responsible Gambling Alliance to promote public awareness of the dangers of problem gambling and the availability of treatment.

March 21, 2008 - A Kansas City, Kan. resident claims a $1.123 Super Kansas Cash jackpot she won by matching all numbers in the March 19 drawing.

LOTTO AMERICA MILLIONAIRES

• Linus McCue, Park City - 1988 - $11.3 Million
• Gerald Stoltenberg, Topeka - 1988 - $ 6.0 Million
• Edwin Frahm, Burchard, Neb. - 1990 - $23.1 Million
• Dave Wagner, Dodge City - 1990 - $35.0 Million
• Lydia Shellenberger, Wichita - 1990 - $2.7 Million
• Edwin Braun, Russell - 1990 - $3.9 Million
• Howard Wilburn, Lawrence - 1991 - $2.0 Million
• Donna Morrison, Lawrence - 1991 - $6.2 Million

POWERBALL MILLIONAIRES

• John Towse, Gardner - 1993 - $17.6 Million
• Randy Frye, Wichita - 1993 - $12.2 Million
• Felix Kane, Gardner - 1994 - $22.5 Million
• Lois Hampton, Olathe - 1994 - $20.9 Million
• Pat Dreiling, Manhattan - 1995 - $31.2 Million
• Mary Ann Bowles, Wichita - 1996 - $26.5 Million
• Alden Oldsen, Olathe - 1996 - $15.1 Million
• 26 American Airlines Workers, Tulsa, Okla. - 2000 - $50.0 Million
• Topeka Area Resident - 2006 - $15 Million
• Eddy Young, Latham - 2007 - $1 Million

HOT LOTTO MILLIONAIRE

• Lori Boyle, Independence - 2007 - $12.9 Million

CLUB KENO MILLION DOLLAR GIVEAWAY

• Lucy Padilla, Ulysses - 1993 - $1.0 Million

CASH LOTTO MILLIONAIRE

• Janet Rickey, Augusta - 1993 - $1.0 Million

KANSAS CASH MILLIONAIRES

• Sedgwick Co. Resident - 1996 - $1.6 Million
• Labette Co. Resident - 1997 - $1.5 Million
• Isabel Nelson, Salina - 1997 - $1.8 Million
• Larry Henderson, Frontenac - 1997 - $1.5 Million
• Randy Essenburg, Dodge City - 1998 - $1.0 Million
• Wyandotte Co. Resident - 1998 - $1.0 Million
• Johnson Co. Resident - 1998 - $1.1 Million
• Chris Lance, Severy - 1999 - $1.0 Million
• Gayle Fanning, Grandview, Mo. - 2001 - $1.1 Million

SUPER KANSAS CASH MILLIONAIRES

• Sedgwick Co. Resident - 2003 - $1.0 Million
• Bettie Minshall, Manhattan - 2003 - $1.9 Million
• Michael Irwin, Wichita - 2003 - $1.2 Million
• Hope Higgins, Abilene - 2004 - $1.5 Million
• Saline Co. Resident - 2004 - $1.5 Million
• Pamela Dye, Meade - 2005 - $1.14 million
• Tamera Shuler, Topeka - 2006 - $3.14 million
• Larry Ketler, Goodland - 2007 - $1.58 million
• McPherson Resident - 2007 - $1.08 million
• Kansas City, Kan. Resident - 2008 - $1.12 million
  

CASH 4 LIFE GRAND PRIZE WINNERS

• Peggy McConnell, Emporia - 1998 - $1,000 a week for life
• Dennis Losier, Kansas City, Kan. - 1998 - $1,000 a week for life
• Charlene Garzillo, Lawrence - 2000 - $1,000 a week for life

Lottery Sales And Transfers By Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year	Net Sales	Game Prizes	Transfers To State
1988	$65,804,532	$30,123,006	$11,343,321
1989	$68,188,022	$33,755,427	$24,500,950
1990	$64,530,640	$28,941,942	$19,259,917
1991	$70,206,003	$32,800,224	$19,453,470
1992	$77,147,506	$37,304,320	$27,147,019
1993	$114,499,165	$58,865,299	$32,629,372
1994	$152,292,802	$79,390,419	$47,888,013
1995	$177,074,245	$92,074,812	$53,246,818
1996	$182,113,628	$96,088,069	$58,114,547
1997	$185,356,681	$99,351,785	$56,658,134
1998	$192,017,310	$101,688,863	$60,304,388
1999	$198,920,985	$107,079,089	$59,333,464
2000	$192,560,800	$104,377,074	$59,646,911
2001	$184,727,159	$97,938,088	$56,535,258
2002	$190,083,880	$98,963,631	$60,494,603
2003	$202,942,874	$107,660,534	$62,500,000
2004	$224,457,166	$120,775,874	$70,217,944
2005	$206,720,771	$112,554,879	$65,409,441
2006	$236,045,945	$131,004,556	$67,088,609
2007	$239,955,044	$133,975,947	$71,016,098
TOTALS	$3,225,907,294	$1,703,676,658	$982,788,277