User:Daniel Benfield/Lottery Game Show Video Archive

To the surprise of...well, not me, that's for sure...there's been a lot of lottery game shows here in the States.

From what I can tell, lottery games used to be relatively staid affairs – most of them simply had multiple players (usually 4-7) taking turns blindly picking boxes for money and/or prizes (a couple of shows added a twist to that, though), while games such as The Big Spin were little more than player interviews and wheel spinning (although the first two hosts of said show easily carried that). Don't get me wrong, though – they're good for what they were, and can be fun to watch if in the right mindset.

In early 1994, Mark Goodson Productions (now headed by his son Jonathan) taped a pilot called Cash Tornado which applied the Price Is Right "variety of games on the same theme" concept to luck, with the format shown there available for licensing to various state lotteries. This little pilot, which remained under the radar until 2014, pretty much set a new standard for lottery game shows.

This page is sorted alphabetically by state. If a state had multiple shows, those are listed chronologically.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. All footage is copyrighted by their respective copyright holders, and I'm using that wording because there's way too many of them to list here.

AND ANOTHER THING: I don't recommend binge-watching these, regardless of whether they use the "pick boxes for money", "spin a wheel for money", or Cash Tornado format. I'm thinking there's a good reason these aired weekly – even stuff like Illinois Instant Riches and The Big Spin would get tedious and dull if they aired daily, and especially if you try to binge-watch 'em for, say, a Video Archive; learned that the hard way, and as such additions to this page will be weekly at best.

California
Make a reference to The Wizard and I'll bop you in the nose. :P

The Big Spin (1985-2009)
Syndicated, Weekly: September 14, 1985 - January 10, 2009 (taped through November 16, 2008)

The long-running lottery game, with several well-known game show hosts involved. Maiquel Suarez joined in 1993 to co-host, as well as assist with Spanish-speaking players who knew little to no English; she got married, and her last name became "Alejo", in 1997.

Chuck Woolery (September 14-November 18, 1985)
 * November 4, 1985 (Spinners: Rosemarie, Naomi, Jose, James, & Harry {Part 2, Part 3})
 * November 11, 1985 (Spinners: Linda, Haruhisa, Reyna, Hazel, Willa {fun segment!}, Emma, Pete, & Sivitri {Part 2, Part 3}; no intro)

Geoff Edwards (November 25, 1985-December 24, 1994)
 * April 25, 1987 (Spinners: Norman, Cleveland, The Gia {pronounced "Tay Gaia"}, John, Hugo, Perry, Timothy, Shirley, William, & Faye {Part 2}; Jackpot starts at $3,275,000; first and sixth spinners' segments missing, although I think that's more the show's doing)
 * [Hugo doesn't speak English, and so a translator is brought in. Interestingly, "Spring Rain" (the Love Experts/Jackpot '84 theme) plays from 8:20-9:24 of Part 2.]

Car now awarded each week; logo redone (began by 8/22/87)
 * August 22, 1987 (Spinners: Dave, Memo, Larry, George, Robert, Ronald, Ellis, & Ora May {Jackpot starts at $3,825,000}; studio master, no video for a few seconds during Ora May's interview, second and third spinners' segments missing {removed by the show, evidently})
 * [Given the additions to the show (a car being awarded each week, Geoff calling a home viewer to let them know they'll be spinning the wheel next week), it's really no surprise that one or two more spins than usual were cut.]
 * August 22, 1987 (Master copy of a 30-second promo)
 * April 9, 1988 (Spin & Win, Week 4: Spinners are Robert, Anna, Mary, Shamiran, & Harry {Jackpot starts at $5,000,000}; studio master with slate and two commercials, audio is a bit low)
 * [Airdate per Charles DeLano.]

Jackpot removed; top prize dropped back to $2,000,000 (began 4/ or 5/88)
 * July 16, 1988 (First spinner is Connie; first player's segment only)

Maiquel Suarez added (began 1993)
 * 1993-94 (First 50 seconds of an episode)

Larry Anderson (February 11, 1995-September 7, 1996)
 * January 20, 1996 (Partial intro, plus $2M Spin {Scott})

Jack Gallagher (September 14, 1996-December 26, 1998)
 * August 9, 1997 (Dream Machine #1 {Eddie}, Winner’s Circle, Dream Machine #2 {Carol}, $2M Spin {Jesus}, Fun In the Sun {Bonnie/Tony/Young/Michael}, with the debut of Fun In the Sun and Jack sounding really bored after a big win {Part 2})

Pat Finn (January 2, 1999-January 10, 2009)
 * December 15, 2001 (California Gold, Dream Machine {Jun}, $3M Spin {Alicia}, with Tony Dow presenting the Hero in Education award {Part 2})
 * [Jackie Taylor fills in for Maiquel.]

All side games (except Dream Machine) replaced by Aces High; final set debuts (began 2004)
 * June 17, 2006 (Clip of a $1,000,000 win!)


 * February 2, 2008 (Dream Machine x3 {David, Eva, Terri}, Aces High)
 * February 23, 2008 (Aces High, Dream Machine {Johnny}, $3M Spin {Michael})
 * January 10, 2009 (Finale: Clip show looking back at the show's 23+-year run, taped 11/16/08 {Part 3, Part 4})
 * [One clip is Maurice Wiley's $1,000,000 win on 3/18/89.]

Cash Tornado (1994)
Unaired Pilot: taped April 5, 1994 at Television City (very likely Studio 33)

Okay, not really a "true" example since this is a kinda-generic presentation intended for licensing to various states, but it was taped in California and, as I noted at the top of the page, basically set the new standard for lottery game shows. This is pretty much why Mark and/or Jonathan Goodson's names are attached to a lot of these shows from '94 onward, starting with Illinois Instant Riches.

Honestly, I think this would've made a great companion to The Big Spin as-is. Jim Perry still had it even five years after Sale of the Century ended, and he really should've gotten another show; that, and several portions of the below feel remarkably like he's hosting TNPIR '94 with Gene Wood announcing...partly because the set's at a "halfway point" between the 1993 pilots and eventual Davidson series.


 * Taped 4/5/94 (Sales Presentation: Onstage players are Edna {Freefall}, Bettye {Grand Prix}, and ROGER DOBKOWITZ! {Force Field})

Make Me a Millionaire (2009-10)
Syndicated, Weekly: January 17, 2009 - January 9, 2010 (approx. 52 episodes)/January 16 - July 3, 2010 (25 episodes + 5 unaired)

Well, hey, Mark L. Walberg got a job for 18 months. :) The theme is kinda annoying and the sound effects are serviceable, but co-host Liz Hernandez doesn't really do anything except read prize copy. Plus, there's really no game variety – the games themselves are varied, sure, but it's always Lucky Penny, Safe Cracker, and California Cool...and always in that order, hence I've opted to just list the player names below. Using different games or mixing up the order of the three might have helped things a bit.

Safe Cracker's a bit weird: while the loser is the first to find two empty safes (and hence their money is halved), a player can also win by finding the last money safe...and hence their opponent's money is halved, even if no empty safes were found. I'm guessing that's because even if all the money's found, they still technically (but physically don't) alternate picking safes...and hence, a player loses because they theoretically picked one or two empty safes even though they in practice didn't. ...Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either.

The jackpot started at $1,000,000 and increased by $200,000 per show until won, although for whatever reason the qualifier for the Millionaire Game was played by six people who weren't those from the previous three games.

Originally, losing the Millionaire Game dropped said player's winnings there to just $10,000. Beginning on July 25, 2009, this was changed to simply halve whatever amount s/he had gotten from any prior right guesses, with a minimum of $10,000.

When the show began, the car in Lucky Penny varied, but seems to have stayed in the $24,000 range. Sometime between March 21, 2009 and April 17, 2010, it was locked to being a Chevy Malibu worth $24,764, which makes the game feel kinda monotonous; on May 1, 2010, the Malibu's color switched from dark blue to gray, probably to stand out better against the dark set.

Originally, the first six contestants got varying prizes in addition to the $2,000 cash minimum, which were sometimes or occasionally Lottery scratchers. Later on, probably at the same time as Lucky Penny limiting itself to the Malibu, all the non-scratcher, non-cash prizes were ousted.

For whatever reason, the last five episodes didn't air...but I'll talk about that more down below. :)

Losing the Millionaire Game drops winnings to $10,000
 * January 17, 2009 (#101/Premiere: Oscar/Carlos/Ignacio, Tammy vs. Raymond, and Ronnie {taped 12/14/08}; Jackpot is at $1,000,000 {Part 3, Part 4})
 * [The episode numbers are based on those of the shows uploaded by the California Lottery's YouTube channel, hence how I knew the show was divided into two seasons. The numbers could essentially be read as "1x01", "1x02", etc.]

Safe Cracker graphics slightly altered: "Strike lights" added to score displays, Strikes change from red to black (began by 3/21/09)
 * March 21, 2009 (#110: Kim/Lori/Hazel, Garrett vs. Maryann, and Casey {Part 3, Part 4}; Jackpot is at $2,800,000)

Losing the Millionaire Game halves total, with a minimum of $10,000 (began 7/25/09)

Lucky Penny car permanently becomes a $24,764 Chevy Malibu; all other non-scratcher, non-cash prizes removed (began by 4/17/10)
 * April 17, 2010 (#214: George/Carlos/Rosa, Patricia vs. Josue, and Bettie; Jackpot is at $2,400,000)
 * April 24, 2010 (#215: Tosha/Carlos/Gregorio, Cindy vs. Arpine, and Saturnino)

Chevy Malibu in Lucky Penny changes from dark blue to gray/white (began 5/1/10)
 * May 1, 2010 (#216: Todd/Larry/Luis, Eddie vs. Isobel, and Helen)
 * May 8, 2010 (#217: Bob/Tony/Paul, Lisa vs. Gene, and Denise, with a notable moment in California Cool; Jackpot is at $3,000,000!)
 * [Bob was on The Big Spin twice, and Mark namedrops the show!]
 * May 15, 2010 (#218: Sean/Julio/Janet, Felix vs. Vicky, and Ana)
 * May 22, 2010 (#219: Cuc/Mal/Mary, Jim vs. Elisenda, and Noel)
 * May 29, 2010 (#220: Nick/Fernando/Sonia, Garland vs. Kim, and Robert, with a small but fun moment during Mark's opening explanations)


 * June 5, 2010 (#221: Walter/Anita/Jerry, Bill vs. Artak, and Eric)
 * [Marilyn, one of the Millionaire Game qualifier players, won $80,000 on The Big Spin about 14 years earlier, and Mark namedrops the show!]
 * June 12, 2010 (#222: Abel/Karen/Joe R., Joe O. vs. Judy, and Joe S.)
 * June 19, 2010 (#223: Anamaria/Cathy/Ken, Silvino vs. Rhonda, and Wanda)
 * June 26, 2010 (#224: Ross/Ruben/Frank, Jorge vs. Max, and Lilia, with a pretty rare event in Lucky Penny)
 * July 3, 2010 (#225 {last aired}: Magaly/Joel/Maria, Barbara vs. Luis, and George)
 * [A disclaimer near the end notes that this is the last show, but winners of the scratchers and second-chance drawings will be able to play on a non-televised episode of the show. Given said disclaimer is a cutaway to a graphic read by Liz, it's clear they didn't know this was the end at the time of taping.]

Unaired on TV

Originally scheduled for July 10-August 7, 2010, but shoved to being online-only when the show was abruptly canned. All five were uploaded by the California Lottery's YouTube channel on the same day.


 * July 10, 2010 (#226 {uploaded 7/9/10}: Cecilia/Lana/Wolfe, Robert vs. Mary, and Melisa; Jackpot is at $2,600,000)
 * [For whatever reason, the Chevy Malibu in Lucky Penny is worth $24,395 on this show only. They probably changed it back because it's kinda bad to have players aim for an extreme end of the 1-9 scale.]
 * July 17, 2010 (#227 {uploaded 7/9/10}: Nina/Susan/Edna, Ray vs. Harjoyt, and Mike)
 * July 24, 2010 (#228 {uploaded 7/9/10}: Eugenia/Francena/David, Bill vs. Luis, and Alfred, with a rare event in Lucky Penny)
 * July 31, 2010 (#229 {uploaded 7/9/10}: Jose/Barbara/Melissa, Fannie vs. Marina, and Gorge, with rare events in the first two games)
 * August 7, 2010 (#230/Finale {uploaded 7/9/10}: Roxana/Chuck F./Mario, Chuck W. {no, not Woolery :P} vs. Louis, and Greg; Jackpot is at $1,600,000)
 * [...Boy, what a bad way to end the run, especially since Mark and Liz's comments indicate they didn't know it was the end. The show's cancellation was clearly abrupt, with the disclaimer in #225 done afterward.]

Flamingo Fortune (Florida, 1995-99)
Syndicated, Weekly: October 14, 1995 - February 27, 1999 (228 episodes, taped at Universal Studios in Orlando)

The show I remember watching when I was young (definitely at least during the original format, since I remember the bonus round), and hence have a fondness for.

The first five episodes credited the show to Mark Goodson Productions; beginning on the sixth show, they started crediting Jonathan Goodson's company instead.

Sony took over production on October 11, 1997, overhauling the show in the process. From what I can tell, only Game 3 differed between shows: the order was always Florida Diceway, Break the Piggy Bank, Florida's Famous or Crack the Code, and Florida's Jackpot. Also, the Million-Dollar part of the title only came into play right before Game 3, which involved spinning the $1,000,000 wheel; if the ball to pick the player for Game 3 landed in the spot the wheel had stopped at, said player won the Million and played said game.

JD Roberto & Heather Alexander (1995-96)
 * October 14, 1995 (Premiere: Susan {Beach Ball}, Steve {Grand Prix}, Pat {Splashdown}, with designated champ George; taped from WTVJ)

Mark Goodson's logo replaced by Jonathan's (began 11/18/95)
 * January 6, 1996 (Martin {Beach Ball}, Frank {Grand Prix}, Nicholas {Splashdown}, with returning champ Jackie and an amazing event {Part 2}; taped from WTVJ, wavy video but very watchable)
 * [JD asks Heather "How was your new year?" after the two walk out, and they briefly discuss New Year's resolutions.]
 * 1996 (Judy {Beach Ball}, Stacey {Grand Prix}, Chris {Splashdown}, with returning champ Cecil, plus Rich Fields appears on-camera!; Game 1 only)

Michael Young & Lisa Stahl-Sullivan (1996-99)
 * 1996 (Michael & Lisa's debut: Lucille {Beach Ball}, Joe {Grand Prix}, Jay {Splashdown}, with returning champ Judy {$263,000!} plus Lottomobile III giving away five Cadillacs to home viewers!; taped from WTVJ, video jumps a few times during the show)

Sony takes over production; Million-Dollar format debuts (began 10/11/97)
 * November 1, 1997 (Flamingo Diceway {Maryann/Lennie/Patsy/Jean}, Break the Piggy Bank, Florida's Famous {based on the intro}, Florida's Jackpot; first segment and tail end of credits only)
 * January 1999 (Flamingo Diceway {Linda/Doris/Ann/Charlie}, Break the Piggy Bank {Duviel vs. Barry}, Florida's Famous {Fran}, Florida's Jackpot {Sonya, playing for $75,000}, with a pretty unlikely event at one point {Part 2}; taped from WFOR)

$100,000 Fortune Hunt (1989-94)
WGN/Syndicated, Weekly: September 16, 1989 - July 2, 1994

Your standard "pick a box for money" game, with the added bonus of $100,000 being awarded to whoever's in the lead after five sets of picks. Episodes were taped the day before they aired, and the show went through several changes in its first year.

Originally, the four non-winning players could opt to keep their earnings or pick off of a 12-square bonus board for various prizes, including more money. This was removed in April 1990.

In August 1990, original host Jeff Coopwood was replaced by Mike Jackson (Linda Kollmeyer remained hostess throughout). The reasons for this are uncertain, but appear to include Jeff pretty much stealing Lottery-owned suits and the fact he hosts like a stereotypical game show emcee. (Personally, I gave him a pass for the premiere since it was the first show and everybody was learning their way around, but he still hosted like that over six months later!)

The show began using returning champs on January 2, 1993, with a five-game/$500,000 limit.

As an interesting footnote, parts of the set appeared in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (released 11/20/92) as the show "Ding Dang Dong", hosted by Bob Eubanks.

Jeff Coopwood & Linda Kollmeyer (September 16, 1989-August 1990)
 * September 16, 1989 (Premiere: Denise/"Nick" {Neshit}/James/Ralph/Roger/Richard)
 * [Yes, the third player's name really is "Neshit".]

Nameplates enlarged (began by 3/31/90)
 * March 31, 1990 (Russ/Jerome/Robin/Craig/Edward/Claude; has commercials)
 * April 7, 1990 (Bill/James/Del/Dan/Grena/Bernadette; has commercials)

Intro overhauled; money amounts on front-game board raised; Bonus Play added; Bonus Board dropped, with a minimum takeaway of $1,500 (began 4/14/90)
 * April 14, 1990 (Otis/Betty/Floretta/Pamela/Robin/Ruth; has commercials)

Illinois Instant Riches (1994-98)
WGN/Syndicated, Weekly: July 9, 1994 - August 15, 1998

The first variation of Cash Tornado to get on the air, and the one that probably sticks the closest to it. The show was hosted by Mark Goodman, with Linda Kollmeyer staying over from Fortune Hunt as hostess.

Note that Home Run, Touchdown, Fast Break, and Home Stretch are all different motifs of the same game. The first three were used during baseball, football, and basketball season respectively, while Home Stretch was only used on the show's trip to the Arlington Race Track in 1996.

This one actually kept Mark Goodson's name and logo at the end until sometime in '96, when it was replaced by Jonathan's.

"Knockout" bonus round (July 9, 1994-February 4, 1995)
 * 1994 (Force Field {Julie}, Touchdown {Maira}, Double Dollars {Bryant} {Part 2}; has some bits of commercials, video is a bit bright)
 * [Mark notes that this is the debut of Touchdown. By this point, the orange player in said game is worth $1,000; it originally paid out a pretty pathetic $1.]
 * December 31, 1994 (Force Field {Susan}, Touchdown {Claudia}, Double Dollars {Lois}, with a pretty obvious edit shortly after time expires in the bonus round; ends during closing plugs)

"Thunderball" bonus round (February 11-Summer?, 1995); Mismatch added to game rotation (debuted 2/11/95)

"Pot of Gold" bonus round (Summer? 1995-August 15, 1998)
 * November 25, 1995 (Vortex {Al}, Knockout {Tom}, Double Dollars {Wanda}, with returning champ Rudy {Week 3 - $66,000} {Parts 2, 3, and 4}; no intro, video skew at bottom of screen for most of show {but still very watchable})
 * [Vortex has its original payouts (starting point of $3,000, top prize of $72,000). Several mentions are made of Thanksgiving leftovers.]


 * 1995-98 (Next-to-last segment, with Bharatkumar? {$100,000!} vs. returning champ Paula {$115,000!} in Pot of Gold)

Wrecking Ball added to game rotation (began 8/10/97)
 * December 20?, 1997 (Wrecking Ball {Karen}, Vortex {Wilma}, Double Dollars {Emily}, with returning champ Bert {Week 2 - $35,000} {Part 2})
 * [Set decorated for Christmas, and the hosts' comments indicate it's upcoming. By this point, Vortex has its second and final set of payouts (starting point of $4,000, top prize of $96,000).]

Illinois' Luckiest (1998-2000)
WGN/Syndicated, Weekly: August 22, 1998 - October 21, 2000

Same hosts as before, but the games were now played by three-player groups who were selected from a group of six contestants through an envelope-based survey question.

On January 29, 2000, the show was revamped to include a "betting" element, restore Vortex and Double Dollars to the game rotation, add Splashdown, and change the bonus round back to Pot of Gold – in other words, a variation of the third-era Instant Riches.

The only real detriment is Pinball, the bonus round of the original format. Pinball on a lottery game show isn't a bad idea, but the issue here was that said table was entirely CGI. It not only looked kinda ugly, but I don't think I'd trust a CGI pinball game to be entirely luck-based. The revamp shifted Pinball to the other end of the show, making it how the players were selected rather than how $100,000 could be won, which...wasn't a good idea.

The lottery's 25th-Anniversary Special was done in 1999, and will be listed here since it borrowed many elements from this show's first format.

Original format (August 22, 1998-January 22, 2000)

Revamped format (January 29-October 21, 2000)

Hoosier Millionaire (Indiana, 1989-2005/2014)
Syndicated, Weekly: October 28, 1989 - December 31, 2005

Syndicated Special: August 23 - 24, 2014

Another long-running game, originally hosted by Mark Patrick and Barbara Hobbs. On June 7, 2003, they were replaced by Cody Stark and Catt Sadler...but it seems Stark didn't really work out, as he was replaced on October 23, 2004 by series announcer Tony Lamont, who had also filled in for Mark and Cody at times.

Mark and Barbara returned for the 25th-Anniversary Special in 2014, which also served as a kind of finale. To help celebrate the milestone, the Lottery's YouTube channel uploaded a bunch of episodes from 1990-99.

Bonus Bonanza (Massachusetts, 1995-98)
Syndicated, Weekly?: January, 1995 - March, 1998

Hosted by Brian Tracey and Dawn Hayes.

Fame & Fortune (1989-91)
WDIV/Syndicated, Weekly: January 28, 1989 - April 6, 1991

Hosted by Chuck Gaidica and Diane Sarnecky.

Megabucks Giveaway (1991-96)
WDIV, Weekly: April 13, 1991 - September 14, 1996

Still hosted by Chuck Gaidica, but now with Aggie Usedly and Jim Harper assisting.

Make Me Rich (2009-12?)
Syndicated, Quarterly: October 16, 2009 - 2012?

Hosted by Christopher Knight and Beth McLeod.

Fun & Fortune (Missouri, 1996-2002)
Syndicated, Weekly?: 1996 - 2002

Hosted by Rick Tamblyn and Penny Greene, although Geoff Edwards did the pilot (by all indication, his last game show).

NY Wired (New York, 1997-99)
Syndicated, Weekly?: 1997 - 1999

Originally hosted by Janice Huff, who was replaced sometime in the second half of 1998 (definitely after August 15) by Cheryl Washington.

Cash Explosion (Double Play) (1987-2006)
Syndicated, Weekly: February 7, 1987 - September 30, 2006

Debuted with the hosting tandem of Bob Grossi and Sharon Bicknell, with Paul Tapie replacing Grossi in 1988. The show went through several formats, and even a brief period in 2000 where Tapie was replaced by Mike Armstrong.

In 2004, Tapie and Bicknell were replaced by Leilani Barrett and Michelle Duda. As this period went on, the Ohio State Lottery noticed that ratings and ticket sales were sagging a bit, so they canned the show and replaced it with a series that...

Actually, I'll explain that later.

Bob Grossi & Sharon Bicknell (1987-88)

Paul Tapie & Sharon Bicknell (1988-2000/2000-04)
 * November 1996 (Close of a Thanksgiving show)
 * [From the "Match 3" bonus round era, which had begun by 3/30/96.]

Leilani Barrett & Michelle Duda (2004-06)

Make Me Famous, Make Me Rich (2006-07)
Syndicated, Weekly: October 7, 2006 - September 29, 2007

Replacing a show that was on for nearly 20 years will inevitably get backlash, but it didn't exactly help that this show was bad – the format's confusing and cheap, the set's barely even a set and is cramped, the intro probably put off a lot of people with its really low-quality animation and lame lyrics, and host David McCreary was overexcited and overhyper to the point where he's clearly faking the whole time.

(Also, he didn't seem to know what was going on at times, but that's partly him being a noob host and partly the fact that the game is freaking complicated.)

So how was this received by the Ohio citizens? Badly. Negative reviews, extremely-low ratings, worse ticket sales than the late-era Cash Explosion, and a ton of hate mail sent to the Lottery pretty much demanding the good show to come back.

Cash Explosion Double Play (2007-)
Syndicated, Weekly: October 6, 2007 - Present

...And come back it did, although for whatever reason McCreary was still allowed to host; at least this time, Sharon Bicknell came back and was joined by Cherie McClain.

Oregon Lottery Jackpot Show (circa 1985)
Syndicated?, Weekly?: Circa 1985

Hosted by Leonard Nixon, and taped at KECH (which probably also aired it), a low-power UHF station at the time. The wheel has amounts of $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, $25,000, and JACKPOT.

I stumbled upon this show while searching for episodes of The Big Spin, and I'm glad I did – not only is it seemingly pretty obscure, but it's also hilariously outdated and several audience members (including a contestant's daughter) look incredibly bored.


 * July 13, 1985 ("Spin 11 of the current game": Jackpot starts at $585,693; slate, intro segment, and Michael Kepler's spin segment only with onscreen text comments by Kepler)
 * [Kepler's text comments include the fact that when it shows his rooting section, the camera is almost always focused on the woman they evidently thought was his wife; yeah, turns out that's actually a friend of hers from college.]

The Oregon Lottery's Money Game (1988-90)
Syndicated, Weekly (Saturday nights): September, 1988 - August, 1990

Your standard "pick boxes for money" front game, with a Let's Make A Deal-esque bonus round: here's two doors, one containing $50,000; take $10,000, or pick a door?

Hosted by Tom Parker and Karen Trumbo...and is it just me, or does Tom sound a whole lot like Jim Peck?


 * March 4, 1989 (Dellarae/Walt/Rod/Jim/Ed, playing for Ron, Becky, Evelyn, Shirley, & Helen respectively {Part 3}; taped from KOIN, with commercials)
 * [Tom notes that last week was a "February closeout special". One promo is for a McDonald's contest, which notes that Splash Mountain will debut at Disneyland "this Summer (said ride opened 7/17/89). Another promo is for tonight's episodes of Dolphin Cove and TV 101 on CBS.]

Wisconsin Lottery Money Game (1992?-2002?)
''Syndicated, Weekly: 1992? - 2002?''

Has a nice Wheel of Fortune-esque game board, which provides a welcome twist on the then-standard "pick a box for money" format: each player, in turn, hits their plunger to stop the flashing light on one row of "WISCONSIN LOTTERY MONEYGAME", then picks a letter from said row.

The show was originally hosted by Mark Johnson, with Lori Minetti (or Laurie Manetti; not sure on that) as hostess. At some point (definitely by November 3, 2001), Parker Drew became host, although I'm not sure whether he directly replaced Mark. In mid-2002, the show became Super Money Game with more games and less contestants.


 * October 1992 (Bob/Sheila/Joanne?/Robert?/Larry?; clips only, mostly based around the first player)

Powerball States
Shows that were seen only in states that were doing the Powerball lotto tickets (and those jackpots have gotten huge!).

Powerball: The Game Show (2000-02)
Syndicated, Weekly: October, 2000 - September 28, 2002

Another fun show by Jonathan Goodson, with Bob Eubanks hosting.


 * November 18, 2000 (Powerball Express, Capsize, Home Stretch {Local Player: Mary Louise of West Virginia}; Zero Gravity playing only)

Powerball Instant Millionaire (2002-04)
Syndicated, Weekly: October 5, 2002 - September 24, 2004

Now produced by Sande Stewart, with Todd Newton hosting. Started out with just Crazy Eights and High Rollers, but added Blackjack on October 4, 2003 (which seems to have been replaced by Wild Cards by March 12, 2004).


 * 2003 (Clip of a male contestant going for the Million!)

Wintario (Canada, 1975-90)
Global, Thursdays: May 15, 1975 - January 4, 1990 (647 episodes; originally bi-weekly, became weekly on November 29, 1979)

Okay, this isn't an American lottery show, but it ran for nearly 15 years and there's a ton online. (Plus, hey, it's my namespace. :)

The show traveled across Ontario, doing live draws at more places than I could count and by all indication had a lot of fun along the way, but ended because...well, I'll let the uploader of the below footage explain:

"Wintario should not have ended this way. The OLC now under a new board of directors wanted Wintario killed as they saw the game as a tory-led party game. Truth be told, the new government of Ontario used lottery money for whatever they wanted to. No longer would there be a lottery grant program and lottery funds would go into a general revenue fund. That is why Wintario could no longer travel."

There's a bit more to it, but I'll save that for when I get to the Finale. Suffice it to say that the last show, despite nearly 15 years and over 600 episodes, ended up being more about who and what was replacing Wintario than Wintario itself.

Fred Davis & Charlie Farquharson (May 15-August?, 1975)
 * May 15, 1975 (Premiere: From the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto {Part 3, Part 4})
 * [For whatever reason, the next eight Wintario draws weren't televised.]

Fred Davis & Faye Dance (October 2, 1975-August? 1980)

Bi-weekly schedule (1975-79)
 * March 1, 1979 (#100!: Hour-long episode from Bancroft {Part 3, Part 4}; first half and credits only)


 * August 16, 1979 (#112: From Winona, home of the Ontario Peach Festival {Part 3, Part 4})

Weekly schedule (began 11/29/79)
 * November 29, 1979 (#120: Debut of the weekly airings and standard format, from the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto! {Part 3, Part 4})


 * March 6, 1980 (#134: From Exhibition Place in Toronto, during Quarterama 1980 {Part 3, Part 4})
 * May 1, 1980 (#142: From Northern Secondary School in Toronto {Part 3, Part 4})

Faye Dance, interim period (August?-October 16, 1980)
 * September 18, 1980 (#162: From the Madoc & District Recreation Centre in Madoc, with Greg Beresford co-hosting {Part 3}; no fourth video, despite the titles)
 * [Greg's first show!]
 * October 9, 1980 (#165: From Midland, with Art Austin co-hosting...and he sucks {Part 3})

Faye Dance & Greg Beresford (October 23, 1980-January 4, 1990)

1981
 * August 13, 1981 (#209: From the Metro Toronto Zoo in...well, guess :P {Part 3, Part 4})
 * October 15, 1981 (#218: From Englehart {Part 3, Part 4})


 * December 24, 1981 (#228: Hour-long Christmas show from Scarborough! {Parts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7})


 * December 31, 1981 (#229: Hour-long New Year's show from Scarborough! {Parts 3, 4, 5, and 6})