How Puerto Rico’s Lottery Continues to Set a Standard for US Lotteries

 

For lottery fans, the Puerto Rico lottery (Loteria Tradicional de Puerto Rico) is something of a hidden gem. It somehow flies under the radar when compared to other lotteries in the United States. However, this game is definitely worth checking out and has plenty of history behind it.

Some of the best US online lotteries have a lot to thank the Puerto Rico Lottery for. This is the oldest modern lottery game in the United States. In other words, this is genesis for the lottery games we know and love around the country, including the top US online lotteries. In this post, we’ll look at the history of the Puerto Rico lottery and why it remains a great game today.

First established in 1934, the Loteria Tradicional de Puerto Rico has been available for people on the Island and those in the United States since. Since that initial game, the portfolio of lottery games available has changed dramatically.

Indeed, these days there are several games to choose from. Players can buy tickets for daily “Pick 2”, “Pick 3”, and “Pick 4” games. Furthermore, the weekly regular multi-million-dollar jackpot game is held 50 times a year and is drawn on a Wednesday. Some special annual draws to look out for include the Mother’s Day and Christmas specials.

• Loto Plus and Doble Revancha – These two games are connected. When you buy a Loto Plus ticket you are automatically entered into the Doble Revancha draw. However, you only participate in Revancha if you do not win playing Loto Plus.
• Instant Scratch games – Several scratch cards are also available that allow players to pick up instant prizes. These games have been part of the Puerto Rico Lottery portfolio since 2010.
• Powerball – This is the latest game to be added to the portfolio. The game was added in 2014 and is currently available from 100 locations. Powerball jackpots are usually extremely high, as much as $20 million.

Below is a table of all lottery games available in Puerto Rico:

Game	Prize	Numbers
Pega 2 Dia	Top Prize	2 from 0-9
Pega 2 Noche	Top Prize	2 from 0-9
Pega 3 Dia	Top Prize	3 from 0-9
Pega 3 Noche	Top Prize	3 from 0-9
Pega 4 Dia	Top Prize	4 from 0-9
Pega 4 Noche	Top Prize	4 from 0-9
Loto Plus	Jackpot	6 from 1-40
Doble Revancha	Jackpot	5 from 1-40 + 1 from 1-15
Powerball	Jackpot	5 from 1-69 + 1 from 1-26

 

Lottery machines in Puerto Rico are supplied by Scientific Games Corporation. In an interesting development several years ago, legislators in the country found businesses were trying not to pay sales taxes by avoiding giving customers receipts. To combat this, lawmakers started printing lottery numbers on sales receipts in 2011.

By doing this, customers became more likely to demand receipts for a purchase, pushing business owners to declare their sales and pay taxes. While exact figures have not been given, the government has since claimed the project was a success.