Massachusetts Lottery unveils Mass 3 and Mass 4

The Massachusetts Lottery is adding two new draw games to its lineup: Mass 3 and Mass 4. Details are still emerging. The Lottery Commission Leadership voted on the games' regulations earlier this morning — so expect more information soon. Here's what we know.

What are Mass 3 and Mass 4?

Think Pick 3 and Pick 4. These are daily draw games built on a simple premise: pick a set of three or four numbers from 0 to 9, choose a play type, match them to the draw, and win a prize. Players choose their numbers, their bet type, and how much to wager. In this case, they will also be able to choose if they want to play with the Wicked Bonus add-on or not. The minimum bet is 50 cents, and playing with the Wicked Bonus will double your wager.

Unlike the Massachusetts Numbers Game, where prizes fluctuate because they're determined pari-mutuel, Mass 3 and Mass 4 offer fixed top prizes. Match all three digits in the exact order in Mass 3, and you win $500. Match all four in the exact order for Mass 4 to win $5,000.

At launch, drawings run once daily in the evening. Drawing time is to be determined.

What's the Wicked Bonus?

This is where Massachusetts puts its own spin on things.

After each drawing, a separate Wicked Bonus number is drawn from 10 numbered balls (0–9). Mass 3 and Mass 4 each get their own Wicked Bonus draw.

Players who opt in can use that bonus number to replace any of the Lottery-drawn numbers. That creates new number combinations for Mass 3 and Mass 4. Match any of those new combinations, and you win a Wicked Bonus prize.

Playing the Wicked Bonus doubles the cost of your ticket. All Wicked Bonus wins are separate from, and in addition to, any standard Mass 3 or Mass 4 winnings.

Other states call this feature Fireball or Wild Ball. Massachusetts calls it the Wicked Bonus. "Wicked is kind of a Massachusetts-ized term," said Executive Director Mark William Bracken during our exclusive interview with Lottery USA.

Online only

Mass 3 and Mass 4 are launching as iLottery-exclusive games. They won't be available at retail. That puts them at the center of the Massachusetts Lottery's broader digital push.

Bracken has been working toward iLottery for most of his time at the Commonwealth. In our previous exclusive interview, he told us:

It was really the only goal I had when I came to the lottery. To get the iLottery legislation passed.

That goal took over a decade. The state legislature commissioned a formal iLottery study nearly 15 years ago. The study recommended moving forward in 2014. The Senate passed the bill. The House did not act.

Now, it's finally happening.

When does iLottery launch in Massachusetts?

The Massachusetts Lottery won't commit to an exact date yet. "It's going to be the first part of the summer," said Bracken. "We're targeting the first half."

What sets Massachusetts apart from other states is its scope. Most iLottery programs launch with either draw games or eInstants, then expand. Massachusetts is going live with everything at once. "We want to make sure when we launch, we have all our ducks in a row," Bracken explained.

Two notable exceptions won't be available online at launch: the Numbers Game, which draws twice daily and generates roughly $350 million in annual sales, and Keno, which draws every three minutes and generates roughly $1.2 billion per year. The Massachusetts Lottery considers both of these games as better suited for the in-store experience.

Mass 3 and Mass 4 will be ready when the Massachusetts Lottery iLottery platform goes live.