Washington Lottery launches new scratch ticket to celebrate 40th anniversary

Washington Lottery is celebrating its 40th anniversary by unveiling a new scratch ticket game to reflect on its contributions to educational causes over four decades
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Washington Lottery is celebrating its 40th anniversary by unveiling a new scratch ticket game to reflect on its contributions to educational causes over four decades. 

Costing $5 per ticket, the 80’s themed scratch ticket is available at local retail stores this week and has a neon, retro-electric design, harking back to the lottery’s inception on July 16, 1982. 

Players can win a top prize of $50,000 and the Washington lottery disclosed that over $16.7m will be available to win in total prizes. 

“We’re extremely excited to celebrate this momentous occasion today, as we reflect on all that Washington’s Lottery has done over the last 40 years and all we have to look forward to for the years to come,” said Marcus Glasper, Director of Washington Lottery. 

“It’s surreal that it’s already been 40 years. That’s 40 years of making someone’s day when they found out they’ve won, 40 years of working alongside our fantastic retailers, 40 years of giving back to the state to benefit good causes, 40 years of developing new games for players, and so much more.”

Since opening in 1982, the lottery has generated over $4.5bn to support several important state programs, with $2bn of that total going towards the State General Fund to distribute to programs related to schools, human services and natural resources. 

$1.5bn has been allocated to the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account (WOPA) over the years, which helps support education in Washington state.

“In its lifetime, Washington’s Lottery has provided a tremendous impact to communities across Washington, and truthfully none of these contributions would be possible without Lottery sales, which are all thanks to our players and retailer partners,” Glasper added. 

“Since November 1982 when we sold our first Scratch ticket, the Lottery has reached $17.7bn in sales and paid out $10.5bn in prizes, as well as $1bn to local retailers for selling winning tickets.”