2020 Ohio Bottle Lottery Extravaganza

Great shot kid, that was one in a million - Han Solo

With the announcement of the 2020 OHLQ Pappy Van Winkle and Buffalo Trace Bottle Lottery I think it's a good opportunity to take a look at past lotteries evaluate this lottery in more depth. I'm going to do this post in a Q&A format, but all questions and answers are coming from me. With that said, let's get started!

Q. What are my odds of actually winning a bottle?

A. We won't know for sure until the lottery is over and we know the number of entries. However, we can estimate based on previous lotteries. For instance, we know the number of bottles available and the number of entries in 2018 and 2019. 

In 2018, there were a total of 783 bottles and 140102 combined entries... which gives a chance of winning of 0.5% or around 1 in 200... however, since a person could realistically enter both lotteries, the actual odds 1.13% or a little bit better than 1 in 100. 

Year	Lottery	Entries	Bottles	Chance of winning
2018	Pappy Holiday	73443	359	0.49%
2018	Buffalo Trace Holiday	66659	424	0.64%
2019	Pappy Holiday	65389	450	0.69%
2019	Buffalo Trace Holiday	65389	450	0.69%

This year, the State says they have over 800 bottles. I'm not sure what to expect in terms of entries, but I would expect similar or more than previous years. 

Q. How do I increase my odds?

A. Your best bet is to have your wife or friends with Ohio addresses who meet the criteria who aren't bourbon drinkers enter. 

Q. Have you ever won?

A. I have not. I've entered most of the lotteries along with my wife and we've struck out every time. My main man Ashwin's wife has won so I know it's possible. 

Q. Can I sell my bottle for a giant profit if I win? 

A. Technically, no. In Ohio, we have some of the worst liquor laws in the country and selling liquor second hand is still on the books... In fact, I've written in the past when the State arrested people for selling on the secondary market. It's no secret this is happening and there are a ton of groups on Facebook and elsewhere trading, buying, and selling... Know that this is illegal and proceed at your own risk. 

Q. What is the website to enter? 

A. You can enter the bottle lottery at https://liqagency.com.ohio.gov/bottlelottery.aspx starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, December 7, 2020. I'll have a reminder on the first day and last day to make sure all of my wonderful readers are entered. 

If you have any questions that weren't addressed, drop a note in the comment and I'll update this post if I can get an answer. Good luck!